The Tejina Chronicles: Final Days
by Kioko the pirate
Summary: Lilo and Stitch have managed to survive the brutal tournament between the experiments and now their final opponent stands before them. Will they be able to win or will they trip at the finish line? Can they even bring themselves to fight?
1. Hope and Sorrow

The Tejina Chronicles: Final Days

By: Kioko the pirate

Chapter 1: Hope and Sorrow

It was a beautiful day on the tropical island of Kauai with only a few clouds floating lazily through the sky. Peering down from the heavens one would see a lush green landscape, with towering, jagged mountains, crystal clear streams, serene waterfalls, gaping canyons, and seemingly endless meadows. Its beauty was second only to the Garden of Eden itself. But for the past two years this majestic island, along with all the other Hawaiian Islands, had played host to a galactic battle between genetic mutations with awesome powers. Their battles left hideous scars on both the islands and the people who found them selves involved with these mutations.

The young Hawaiian girl named Lilo and her experiment partner Stitch, were no exceptions. In their battles they had seen friends hurt, lives upturned, and some even lost. All for the sake of a battle that seemed all too meaningless. However, the signs that the battle was drawing to a close were all around them. Fights with other experiments were becoming less frequent while their intensity increased. Only the strong remained and there were fewer of them everyday. Each battle brought them closer to the end, closer to the end of all the pointless fighting. This, however, only brought them more pain.

Lilo and Stitch were now standing on the edge of a high cliff that at the beginning of their fight had been a barren field. Stone spikes, shattered rock, and boulders of epic size were strewn about the ground around them. These things were the result of their battle with a purple, four-legged, flat-tailed experiment named Richter. Each of them had stern looks on their faces as they stared across to the other side of the canyon, which was another product of Richter's spells, and watched as the experiment's purple book burned away. Without a single word the two of them turned and began to walk away as Richter and his partner said their final good-byes. They had won yet another fight without so much as a scratch and while most partners would be celebrating Lilo and Stitch maintained their stern expressions. For them, it was nothing to celebrate.

'It's almost over,' thought Lilo as her and Stitch started the long trip back home, 'this damned tournament is almost over. Soon I'll be able walk around this island without the fear of being attacked. I won't have the constant fear that this book will be burned.'

Lilo tightened her grip on the blue spell book and glanced down at Stitch; his ears were draped over his shoulders and a sad look sat in his eyes. He knew just as she did that their time together was drawing to a close. But what made it so much more painful was the fact that they had no idea just how much longer they had. There was no countdown clock; there was no checklist for beaten experiments, there was nothing at all. It was no secret that if they had the choice to they would much rather just lock the book away someplace and spend the rest of their days together. But something kept driving them to fight.

'It's been like this ever since we returned from the "World one",' Lilo continued to think as her and Stitch entered the thick forest, ' experiments keep throwing themselves at us and we keep knocking them down. All because we've done almost nothing but train day in and day out, hell it seems the only time I'm not training is when I'm at school. Even then I'm constantly thinking about the next battle. It's become so systematic it isn't even funny, and yet I wish it would last forever. At least then Stitch wouldn't have to leave.'

Several hours passed with neither Lilo nor Stitch speaking a word. Both of them were far too lost in their thoughts to strike up a conversation. It was a strangely awkward silence that was only broken once they finally reached Kokaua town. It was then that the silence was replaced by the sound of passing cars, laughing tourists, and even music from local musicians playing on the street. It was the middle of summer and prime tourist season so the whole town was in a constant, cheery mood. But that cheer did nothing to brighten the faces of Lilo and Stitch, if anything it added to their sorrow. It only took them a few minutes to reach the center of town where they came upon an oddly quiet Kiki's coffee shop.

As they passed by a friendly voice called out to them. They both stopped and looked toward the shop to see Victoria running out to them, her waitress apron flapping in front of her.

"Hey, Lilo, Stitch!" the red head beamed as she came to a stop in front of them.

"Oh, hey, Victoria." said Lilo in a rather dull tone.

"You guys coming back from a battle?" asked Victoria as she spied the blue book in Lilo's hands.

"Yeah." replied Lilo.

"Another easy win by the looks of it. I mean there isn't a mark on either of you," Victoria just shook her head in disbelief, "you two never cease to amaze me."

"Thanks." said Lilo as she finally cracked a smile.

"You two want to sit down for awhile," offered Victoria as she motioned toward a table, "I obviously don't have anything to do right now. I could get you a donut or something? Or maybe some coconut cake?" said Victoria as she gave a sly smile to Stitch, who just looked away.

"Sure, why not." said Lilo after a moment.

But as she turned to walk to the table she felt a tug on her pants leg. She looked down to find Stitch holding her pants leg and yet still looking away. "I… don't sense any other experiments near by so… do you mind if I just head home?"

Lilo looked at her partner curiously for a moment before finally nodding. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll see you at home a little later."

"Ok." Stitch said quietly before continuing down the street with his head hung low.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Victoria curiously as her and Lilo sat down at a nearby table.

"The same thing that's wrong with me," sighed Lilo as she placed the book on the table and rested her chin on her hand, "he knows he'll be going home soon."

A sympathetic look appeared on Victoria's face as she watched her friend stare off into the distance. "Do you know how many more experiments are left?" Lilo just shook her head slowly. "I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but you knew this day would come. You knew this tournament of theirs would only last so long."

"I know," moaned Lilo as she closed her eyes, "I just wish it would last longer. I'm not ready for him to leave yet."

"Well try looking on the bright side. If things keep going the way they have been you're going to make Stitch the champion like that!" said Victoria as she snapped her fingers to make the point. "You should feel good about that." added Victoria.

"If he does win I will feel good about it. I'm proud of how far he's come since I first became his partner. And that pride will only grow if he wins but… I can't help but wonder: What will I do once he's gone? You know?" Lilo said as she looked back at her friend.

Victoria gave a slow nod as she looked off to the side. "I thought that same thing when I lost Snooty. I couldn't imagine going on with my dull, ordinary life without him. I thought for sure I'd die from boredom and from missing him too much. But you know what I realized?"

"Huh?"

"I realized that the world did not end when I lost him. Snooty never liked the fact that he was disturbing my life anyway. He didn't like that fact that because of him I was putting myself in harms way over and over again. So I decided that since he was gone, I'd show him that he never had anything to worry about. I would go on living my normal life as happily as I could. That's why I got this job working here."

"What exactly are you saying?" asked Lilo with one raised eyebrow.

"I'm saying that even though you'll miss him when he's gone you should try your hardest to keep on living happily. I'm sure he doesn't like dragging you into battle neither. So show him that your time with him has only made you a stronger woman."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah," smiled Victoria, "besides you never know what fate may bring. You could end up seeing him again one day. And if that were to happen you wouldn't want him to find you a miserable wreck would you?"

"No I wouldn't." Lilo sighed as she looked off into the distance.

"So try and keep an upbeat mind, ok? And remember, I'm always here for you if you ever need to talk." said Victoria as she placed her hands on Lilo's.

Lilo just looked at her friend and smiled. "Thank you, Victoria. That means a lot to me. "

"It's no problem," she said with a big grin, "Now how about some of those doughnuts?"

"Bring'em on!" cheered Lilo.

At that moment Stitch was slowly crawling through the doggy door and into the living room. If there was anyone that could have used one of Victoria's pep talks it was him. With his head hung low and his ears flapping at his sides it appeared that someone had taken all the good things in his life and crushed them underfoot. No one could have guessed by looking at him that he had just won yet another flawless victory against a powerful opponent.

Without a sound Stitch walked over, hopped up on the couch, and fell face first into the thick cushions. He remained completely motionless save for the rise of his body as he gave a deep, heavy sigh. Though it was a beautiful day out the sky might as well have been full of black clouds as far as Stitch was concerned. He had never felt so hopeless before in his life. He wanted so much to stay on the island with Lilo, but he couldn't think of anyway to make that happen. He had to finish this tournament, he had no other choice; even if he hid his book away somewhere experiments would still come.

Stitch clenched his teeth and slammed his fist over and over again into the pillow that lay in front of him. "I hate this, I hate this so much," groaned Stitch as he rubbed his face deeper into the cushion, "I don't want to go back to the lab."

Suddenly, a sound from the kitchen caught Stitch's attention. He rolled over to see Nani in the kitchen slipping on her shoes and grabbing her keys from the counter and throwing her purse over her shoulder. As she left the kitchen, heading for the front door, she noticed Stitch and stopped where she was.

"Oh, Stitch, your back. When did you and Lilo get home?" the older girl asked curiously.

"Actually, Lilo's still down in town with Victoria."

"Oh really," said Nani with a surprised tone, "why didn't you stay down there with her? I don't think you two have been apart since you met."

Stitch gave another sigh and rested his cheek down on the cushion. "I just wanted to come home."

"Uh oh, what's wrong?" asked Nani as she set her keys and purse on the floor and walked over to Stitch, "Come on, spill it."

Stitch curled up into a ball as Nani sat down next to him and placed her hand on his side. Stitch didn't speak, but as Nani began to gently scratch his side he relaxed and let out another sigh.

"It's almost over, that's what is bothering me," he said with a heavy sadness, "I never would have imagined that I would feel like this."

"What do you mean?"

"When I first got here I could do nothing but wait anxiously for the end of this tournament. I was excited by the idea of me being the last experiment standing; I could hardly wait to find a partner and start fighting. But never did I think that I would find a partner that I care so much about. And now that glorious victory that I was so excited about seems as appealing as Jumba's cooking. Which is not good by any stretch of the imagination."

"I see," said Nani with an understanding tone, "to be honest I'm not surprised at all. You and Lilo have definitely grown close these past two years. Heck, she's grown more attached to you than anyone else."

Stitch groaned and curled up again. The thought of Lilo growing more attached to him than anyone else was like a needle in his brain. "That's what makes this all the more terrible," he said as he held his head, "I don't want to break her heart by leaving."

"Isn't there anyway for you to stay here? Can't you just refuse to fight the last battle?" asked Nani.

"No, there's no avoiding it. Whoever my last opponent will be won't want to stay here. They'll want to fight and hopefully become champion. Even if that experiment wanted to stay here and we hid our books away Jumba would probably send one of his bodyguards down to retrieve us. And as strong as they are there would be no fighting them off." explained Stitch.

"Well that stinks."

"It doesn't matter anyway, even if I found a way to stay here… you wouldn't want me hanging around." said Stitch as he looked up at Nani from the corner of his eye.

"Oh now wait one minute! What makes you think that?" exclaimed Nani sounding offended.

"I know you don't like Lilo running around with me and putting herself in all kinds of dangerous situations. You'll probably be glad once I'm gone, that way you won't have to worry about her. But if I were to stay, who knows what kind of danger I would bring. That's what you're thinking." Stitch said as he put his face back down in the cushion.

"Now that's not fair, Stitch. I know me and you didn't get along in the beginning,"

"Didn't get along? You tossed me out the backdoor multiple times! You even threatened to neuter me with a pair of gardening shears that time your boss came over and I greeted him at the door wearing your bra."

Nani's eyebrow twitched as she glared down at the experiment. "Ok, so I thought you were an epic pain in the ass. Either way, I've grown to trust you more. I actually feel better about you and Lilo hanging around one another so much. As strong as you've become I know that if she were to get into any trouble you'd be able to bail her out." the older girl said, her tone steadily becoming softer.

Stitch rolled over and sat up a surprised look on his face. "Is that true?" asked the experiment as he cocked his head to the side.

Nani couldn't help but smile at his cuteness. "I wouldn't have said it if it weren't," for the first time in what seemed like forever a smile crossed Stitch's face, "Now I don't know how all this alien tournament stuff works, but if you manage to find a way to stay… just know that you have an ohana waiting here for you, ok?"

Stitch's smile was quivering and a second later he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Nani's waist. "Oh thank you so much, Nani," Stitch cried as he held the older girl tight, "you have no idea what that means to me! I promise, if I find a way to stay I won't cause any more trouble."

"I'll believe that when I see it," laughed Nani as she stroked Stitch's head, "And hey, if you need any help convincing Jumba to let you stay just have him give me a ring."

"Thank you so much." said Stitch with a small purr.

"Ok, we've already established that your grateful," said Nani as she pulled herself away from Stitch and got back on her feet, "Now I've got to get going, I won't be home till late so you and Lilo need to figure out what to do for dinner."

"Ok, Nani." said Stitch as he watched the girl walk to the front door and open it.

"You shouldn't worry Stitch, life has a way of working things out." Nani said with a small smile before turning and shutting the door behind her.

Stitch just continued to sit there with a smile on his face. The fear still lingered in him that he would never be able to return, but Nani's words gave him hope, even if it was only a little. The rest of the day went by uneventfully, it was a prime example of a lazy summer day. But finally the sun began to set and before long a blanket of stars covered the sky. Lilo however had not yet returned home, it was only after the sun had long since dipped below the horizon that she walked through the front door.

Victoria had been let off from her shift early and as a further measure to keep her friends spirits up she took Lilo all over town. The two girls had seen a movie, eaten at a new restaurant, and even strolled by the beach admiring the well-cut men who were exercising. They were teenage girls after all. Lilo walked in still giggling to herself over a joke Victoria had told her a little while before. As she closed the door behind her and tossed the spell book on top of a nearby bookcase she noticed Stitch lying stretched out and fast asleep on the couch. A plate filled with the remains of a fried chicken sat at his feet while his paw, which dangled over the edge of the couch, still clutched a chicken leg bone.

"Well looks like he had a good night." smiled Lilo as she looked between her snoring partner and the TV, which was stuck on the monster movie channel.

As quietly as possible Lilo walked over and knelt down next to Stitch. Though it was gross she couldn't help but find the little string of drool running from his mouth cute. Without a word she carefully pried the chicken bone from his paw, placed it on the plate and took the plate into the kitchen. When she came back in she walked over and scooped Stitch up in her arms like an infant and made her way toward the stairs. With careful steps she made her way up to her room where she placed Stitch down in his little box-bed. Lilo let out small laugh as stitch instantly grabbed a hold of his pillow and snuggled it.

"You're too cute sometimes, you know that?" said Lilo as she pulled the blanket up to his shoulders.

"I really hope our next opponent is a long way off," sighed Lilo as she ran her hand across Stitch's cheek, "I really don't want you to leave. But that doesn't mean I'll give up my promise. No matter how I may feel, I'll do everything in my power to make you champion. I'm not going to let you down, not after coming this far. I promise."

With a smile Lilo leaned over and gave Stitch a quick kiss on the forehead.

**Well that's the end of the first chapter of the final story! The next chapter will be a bit delayed however. I have two term papers that take priority. Sorry. But I will try to update as soon as possible! So please review.**


	2. Call to Battle

The Tejina Chronicles: Final Days

By: Kioko the pirate

Chapter 2: Call to Battle

It was the start of another perfect Hawaiian day as the sun shined into the silent bedroom of Lilo and Stitch. Both of the friends were sound asleep, enjoying the comfort of their respective beds as golden rays peeked in from around the blinds. A feeling of tranquility filled the air and seemed to hold the promise of a relaxing day ahead. However, Stitch was completely oblivious to the waking day as his mind remained in a far off place. Stitch laughed and shouted for joy as he bounded through an endless field of Reese's peanut buttercup flowers chasing after a marshmallow as big as himself. The sweet smell of coconut milk filled his nostrils as the feeling of the coconut cake soil beneath his feet and between his toes, soothed his entire body.

"You can't run for ever, my tasty treat!" laughed Stitch happily as he leapt forward and tackled the puffy white snack. "You're so soft, I could just eat you up! As a matter of fact, I think I will!"

With that Stitch sunk his teeth into the giant marshmallow, unaware that back in the real world he was chewing on his pillow. It was the most pleasant dream Stitch had had in a long while. But unfortunately, his joy was short lived, for as he chewed away happily on his sugary prey a sudden weight slammed down onto his body. The air itself seemed to become lead, tearing Stitch away from his field of dreams and back to his small bed. Stitch's eyes snapped open as he quickly sat up in bed and began looking around. It took him only a second to realize what was happening. An experiment was nearby and it was strong, really strong.

The blue experiment quickly looked over towards Lilo who was still fast asleep in bed, unable to feel the weight that continued to bear down on her partner. But before Stitch could say a word to try and wake her a sudden, loud bang followed by a scream from downstairs yanked the young girl away from her own dream world and into reality.

"What the hell was that?" blurted Lilo only half awake as she sat up and looked toward her bedroom door. Without a word Stitch leapt from his bed and bolted out the door. "Stitch, wait up!" shouted Lilo as she threw off her covers, grabbed the spell book, and rushed off after her partner.

A second later Stitch reached the downstairs hallway, where he found a panting Nani sitting on the floor, with her back against the wall, facing the front door. The blue experiment stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the reason for the older girls scream. Just a few feet above Nani's head was a large, jagged spear of ice, buried deep in the wall.

"Nani, my god, are you alright?" shouted Lilo as she rushed over to her sister's side.

The older girl was silent for a moment as she caught her breathe. "I'm… fine. That thing just came out of… nowhere. I was just walking down the hall and it slammed into the wall right in front of me." explained Nani, her eyes still wide from shock.

"That was a real close call," said Lilo as she looked toward the front door. A basketball-sized hole sat in the middle of the door, with shards of wood lying all around, "Stitch, do you sense an experiment nearby?" asked Lilo as she looked toward her partner.

Stitch walked slowly into the living room and stared at the front door. "I sense an experiment but they're not nearby. The fact that the spell stuck horizontally in the wall means that it was launched from a place that was parallel to the front door. There are no trees that provide such a position; the damage is too minimal for it to have been launched from close range, and it's too straight a shot for the experiment to have jumped." said Stitch as he looked over his shoulder at the girls.

"But, the only spot that is parallel with the house is…" started Lilo, her eyes growing wide, "all the way on the other side of Kakaua town."

"Experiment's can attack from that far away? That's got to be close to ten miles!" exclaimed Nani in disbelief.

"A lot of experiments have spells that can reach great distances, but for an experiment to have such accuracy from so far away… they have to be powerful. And the experiment I sense… is very powerful."

"How powerful is it?" asked Lilo as she helped Nani to her feet.

Stitch closed his eyes as he tried to gauge their attackers strength. A moment later he winced and the slowly opened his eyes. "Well, what's the word?" blurted Lilo in an uneasy tone.

"Whoever it is… they're power dwarfs 6-2-7's." said Stitch with a solemn expression.

Lilo's jaw practically dropped to the floor. Even though they had faced many powerful opponents since returning, no one had ever come close to matching 6-2-7. But one question suddenly popped into the young girls mind. "If they are that powerful why would they attack from so far away and why did they fire just a single shot so indiscriminately?"

"I have no idea." said stitch as he walked back toward Lilo, shaking his head as he went.

Suddenly, a cracking sound reached everyone's ears, causing them all to look toward the ice spear. Long, jagged cracks began to cross its surface, until finally it fell to the floor in hundreds of pieces. But as Lilo looked over the pile of ice shards something caught her eye. She walked over and knelt down beside the ice and began digging around in the shards.

"What are you doing?" asked Stitch as he cocked his head to the side curiously.

Lilo did not answer; instead she pushed aside a large chunk of ice and produced a piece of paper that was bound tightly with string. "It's a note." said Lilo as she began untying the string.

"Obviously this experiment doesn't know how to use the mail." scoffed Nani as she folded her arms over her chest.

"So what does the note say?" asked Stitch.

Lilo cleared her throat of morning phlegm and began reading. "It says: This day has been along time coming and I can hardly contain my excitement. I can feel your incredible power in the air and it only makes me yearn for battle even more. You and I are the last two remaining experiments in this tournament; my partner and I have confirmed this by traveling around this planet and trying to sense fellow experiments. The only experiment I could sense was you! Finally, the battle to decide champion is upon us and I couldn't have wished for a better opponent. At noon today we will be waiting on Pa'Lua Street for you. If you do not show today, we will wait there for you each day until you do. Don't make me wait forever, Blue Butt."

"It says 'Blue Butt'?" asked Stitch with a raised brow.

"Yeah." said Lilo as she held up the paper and pointed.

Stitch's expression instantly seemed to lighten, sending a wave of confusion over the two sisters. "Well I guess that explains everything," blurted Stitch with a small laugh, "at least we know it isn't a villain after us."

"What are you talking about, Stitch?" asked Lilo.

"I know the guy that wrote that note," said Stitch after another small laugh, "His name is Slushy, he was a buddy of mine back at the lab. Blue Butt was his nickname for me after he froze my patookie with a spell once during training. There is only one thing in this universe that he truly loves, and that's fighting. Nothing else comes even close."

"Well maybe, since you know him, we could talk him and his partner into postponing the fight for awhile." suggested Lilo as the weight of the situation began to settle on her.

But to her dismay Stitch just shook his head. "Like I said, he loves to fight and the fact that me and him were buddies isn't going to be enough to change his mind. Especially when the outcome of this tournament is at stake."

"I see," said Lilo as she lowered her head, a heavy sadness settling upon her, "so then it's finally here… the end of the tournament."

"It looks like it." agreed Stitch with an equal sadness.

"Kinda ruins are day plans doesn't it?" asked Lilo with a forced smile, trying to lighten the moment.

Stitch just gave a short puff of a laugh. "Well they did say that we have a choice of waiting a day or two. We could hold off for a little while."

"Would you want to hold off?" said Lilo with a raised eyebrow.

Stitch's ears perked up in surprise. "Well I… um… since we have the option of waiting why not take advantage of it?"

For a moment Lilo just stare at the experiment as if expecting to hear more. But then, after a deep sigh, she said: "Then it's settled, we fight them today."

"What?" exclaimed Stitch with wide eyes.

Even Nani was taken off guard by her sister's decision. Certainly she would have wanted to spend as much time with Stitch as she could before their last battle. Neither her or Stitch could figure out the girls reasoning. But they didn't have to think too long for Lilo soon began explaining.

"I would love nothing more than to hold off on the fight as long as possible, but I know deep down that is not what you want, Stitch. When I asked you if you wanted to hold off on the fight you paused, which tells me that you had to decide between fighting and holding off. Your first thought was that you wanted to fight, wasn't it?"

At first it seemed impossible, but as Stitch thought about it he discovered that Lilo was right. He did want to fight but at the same time he wanted to be with Lilo. The blue experiment quickly found him self in a terrible contradiction. "Yes it was," blurted Stitch, hoping that talking may straighten his thoughts, "but that doesn't matter! Like I told Nani last night, when I first arrived all I could think about was the final battle. But not now, I still want to win but I want to stay here with you as well. So we don't need to fight right away."

"What's the point," shouted Lilo after a moment of silence, once again catching her sister and Stitch off guard, "all we'd be doing is prolonging the inevitable! I don't want this to be any harder than it already is! It's nine o' clock right now, which means we have three hours to warm up and get ready. So let's get a move on!"

With that the girl whipped around and ran back upstairs, leaving Stitch and Nani worried and confused. The young girl quickly reached her bedroom, threw the blue book against the wall and then tossed herself onto the bed. She buried her face deep into her pillow as a wave of tears escaped her, soon followed by heavy sobs.

'This can't be happening,' Lilo thought to herself as she continued to cry into her pillow, 'why did this day have to come so soon? With so few experiments left I thought for sure the time between battles would be much longer. Damn it, I don't want Stitch to leave! I don't, I don't, I don't!'

Lilo grabbed the sheets of her bed and squeezed them till her knuckles turned white. 'But I made him a promise, I promised him that I would help him become the champion. I can't let my personal feelings keep me from my promise. As much as I may not want to, I have to do everything I can! I will make him champion.'

After regaining control of her self, Lilo and Stitch got right into their preparations. The three hours that they had flew by as they went through their pre-fight routine. Now, with only a few minutes before noon, the two friends slowly made their way into town. However, Stitch was feeling far different from what he had imagined he would be come the final battle. Instead of feeling his heart pounding in his chest and having an excited grin stretched from ear to ear, his head hung low off his shoulders and it felt as though he had swallowed a boulder.

The battle itself was far from his mind. The only thing he could think about was Lilo and how she would handle herself once he was gone. It had never been something he thought much about, he had always assumed that she would be strong enough to get by. But after seeing how she reacted to Slushy's note, he wasn't so sure. It didn't help him feel any better that Lilo was now hiding her feelings behind a confident smirk. The young girl was carrying herself as if this was just another battle, and that nothing would be different afterward.

'God this is so frustrating,' thought Stitch as he grabbed hold of his ears and yanked on them while grinding his teeth, 'this is an impossible situation! There's nothing I can do to keep Lilo from being hurt. Damn you, Jumba! Damn you and this tournament, why did you have to go and require us to make an emotional bond to a being that we'd eventually have to leave behind? You may act nice and goofy… but you're a sick man.'

"You nervous or something?" asked Lilo after noticing her friend practically ripping his ears off.

The girls question snapped Stitch out of his thoughts, leaving him a little confused. "What? Oh… no, I'm not nervous. Why do you ask?"

"Well it's just that you're this far from tearing your ears off your head." said Lilo as she held her index finger and thumb only slightly apart.

"I'm just a little peeved is all," said Stitch as he released his ears, "Peeved that Jumba makes us leave once the tournament is over."

"Well maybe once you become champion you can convince Jumba to change that."

"Perhaps," responded Stitch with a solemn tone, "Lilo will you be completely honest with me about something?"

"Sure, what is it, Stitch?"

"Are you going to be alright when I leave?"

Lilo was silent at first as she looked down at her friend. Finally, she looked up ahead of her and let out a sigh. "Well I'm not going to lie, I won't be happy when you leave that's for sure. I'll definitely miss you a lot, but you don't need to worry about me," Lilo looked down at Stitch with a light hearted smile, "I'll be alright. I didn't think I would be at first, but after talking with Victoria last night, and seeing how well off she was without Snooty, I think I'll be fine."

Even as the girl smiled down on him Stitch felt as though he could believe very little of what she said. It was still very obvious to him that she was suppressing her real feelings, but he couldn't figure out why. Was she trying to spare his feelings? Unfortunately, Stitch had very little time to think her motives over as the two stepped onto Pa'Lua Street. The street was far from the main road and so there were no people to get in the way. But as the two friends looked around they noticed that absolutely no one was around.

"Where are they," asked Lilo as she looked at her watch, "it's noon. I thought the note said they'd be waiting here?"

"It did," said Stitch as he looked around, "they're nearby though, I still feel his power."

Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched laugh echoed down the street, sending a shiver down Lilo's spine. The two friends quickly turned around and looked to the top of a lamp post only a few yards away. There, standing on top of the light, was a crystal blue, semi transparent experiment, with beady blue eyes, a large blue nose like Stitch's, pointed arms and legs, and spikes sticking out from the back of his head.

"I'm so glad that you two could make it," grinned the experiment, "to be honest I would have bet money that you would have taken advantage of my offer to wait a little while. But it would appear that you haven't lost any of your eagerness to fight me eh, Blue Butt?"

"Why would you have bet that we'd wait?" asked Stitch, sounding somewhat irritated.

Slushy shrugged. "Oh I don't know, perhaps it was that fact that you were always a little clingy and I doubted that you'd be able to let go of your first partner so easily. But that doesn't matter, you are here and so we can finally bring this tournament to a conclusion!"

"Are you really that excited to see if you can become champion?" said Stitch as he folded his arms over his chest.

Slushy stopped and stared at Stitch for a moment before bursting out in a fit of laughter. "Are you really that stupid," laughed Slushy as he held his gut, "you know me better than that! I couldn't care less about becoming champion! The only reason I'm excited about his final battle is that I get to fight you! You can have the title of champion if you wish, all I want is a satisfying fight and I couldn't have hoped for a better opponent."

Just than, Stitch saw a possible opening, if Slushy just wanted to fight and didn't care about becoming champion, maybe they could fight without trying to burn one another's books. That way he could spend more time with Lilo!

"If a good fight is all you want then how about we fight without trying to target each others books? That way this tournament doesn't have to end, you and me could fight for as long as we desired. And since we'd still be fighting Jumba would have no reason to withdraw us. If you don't care about becoming champion then there is no reason for you to try and become one. What do you say?"

Slushy straightened up and scratched his chin with his pointed arm. "You've got a good point there, Blue Butt."

Lilo was speechless as she looked down at Stitch. How could he even think of abandoning his dream, the dream that he had worked so hard and bleed so much for? The young girls mind was a flurry of thought even though the world around her seemed to stand still. Part of her would love to have Stitch stay; she had never had a friend quite like him. But the other part of her felt guilty for making him want to give up his dream. She didn't want him hanging around if every time she looked at him she'd think of what could have been.

"Stitch, are you crazy?" blurted Lilo, "Why would even think to ask such a thing? I thought you wanted to become champion?"

"I did, but not if it means having to leave you forever." said Stitch as he looked up at her with a small smirk.

"No," shouted Lilo, startling the blue experiment, "I won't have you giving up your dreams just because of me! I don't want that guilt on my conscience."

"But, Lilo I…" started Stitch.

"It's no use, Blue Butt," interrupted Slushy, "the girl's made up her mind. Besides, I decline your offer. As much fun as it would be to fight you to my hearts content, I'm afraid that I'd grow bored with you. Not to mention that there are a few experiments back at the lab who I owe a beating to for not believing that I could make it this far in the tournament. You understand that I don't want to keep them waiting."

"Yeah, I understand." said Stitch solemnly as he looked up at Lilo, who just looked away.

"Good, than let's get started!" cheered Slushy as he leapt high into the air. The icy experiment soared over Lilo and Stitch's head and landed several yards away on the street. "I'd like to introduce you to my partner, Jacob."

Slushy raised his arm to the side, pointing down an alleyway. A second later a well built, young man with spiked blue hair, a light blue shirt, and dark blue shorts stepped out onto the street. He walked over next to Slushy and pulled a white spell book out from behind his back.

"How cute, I've never seen partners try to look alike before." smiled Lilo as she looked between the two.

"Hey, this was completely unintentional," shouted Jacob defensively, "I wear all this blue because I'm a member of the Polar Bear Club, not because of him."

"You're a member of the Polar Bear Club…in Hawaii?" asked Lilo as she scratched her head.

"You know I don't think being a member requires you to wear all that blue." added Stitch, whose brow was furrowed in confusion.

"Shut up!" yelled Jacob angrily.

"Enough talking," Slushy suddenly yelled, "I'm going to burst if we don't start fighting. So, are you two ready?"

Stitch took a few steps toward Slushy as Lilo tightened her grip on the book. In that instant, Stitch decided that since Lilo wanted him to become champion he wasn't going to let her down. He was going to win.

"Ready." said Lilo and Stitch in unison.

The whole street went silent as the pairs stared one another down. A gentle breeze was all that seemed to move, but suddenly, Slushy grinned and leapt high into the air above Lilo and Stitch. Jacob quickly threw open the book and flipped a few pages. A moment later the white book began to glow with an equally white light.

"Aisarendo!" yelled Jacob.

Slushy's cheeks began to swell as he took in one deep breath. He then blew a cloud of icy mist directly at Lilo and Stitch that coalesced into honeycomb shaped blocks of ice as it traveled threw the air. Yet as the pieces of ice came closer and closer, the two friends barely blinked an eye.

"Gigano-Fisten." said Lilo with a very casual tone.

Stitch lowered himself into a horse stance and grabbed hold of his right forearm. As Stitch drew back his arm, his tiny fist became enshrouded in a swirling torrent of blue energy. Then, with only a few feet to spare, Stitch threw his fist toward the incoming attack. Slushy's eyes widened slightly as a massive blast of blue energy engulfed his own spell, shattering the ice like it was nothing. Stitch's spell continued to fly right toward Slushy, ready to strike him head on. But at the last second Slushy twisted to the side and allowed the attack to sail harmlessly past him.

"You're going to have to do a lot better than that, Blue Butt!" laughed Slushy as he looked down at Stitch.

The icy experiment's laughter was cut short, however, when Stitch vanished before his eyes. Following his instincts as well as his senses Slushy turned and looked over his shoulder to find Stitch falling through the sky right behind him.

"The same goes for you." said Stitch as he cocked his fist back.

"Punchito." ordered Lilo without even looking up at the two experiments.

Slushy had no time to react before Stitch's fist slammed into his cheek, turning the experiment into an icy missile. Slushy streaked toward the ground with blinding speed before crashing into the street behind Jacob, sending chunks of asphalt flying in all directions. A second later Stitch landed gracefully in front of Lilo. Everyone now stared into the cloud of dust kicked up by Slushy's landing with expressionless faces, including Jacob. To no ones surprise Slushy crawled from the crater with a large grin on his face.

"Excellent, this is excellent, you used your spells without even opening the book," laughed Slushy as he stared down the street toward his opponents, focusing on the blue book that was clutched in Lilo's hand and hung at her side, "I can tell this is going to be really fun!"

**Well that's the end of this chapter! I'm sorry it took so long, finals drained me and for the longest time I couldn't switch my mind from essay writing back to story writing. And I'm not sure I completely made the transition. I promise I'll have the next chapter up a lot sooner. Please review.**


	3. Far from Over

The Tejina Chronicles: Final days

By: Kioko the pirate

Chapter 3: Far from Over

The battle had barely begun, and yet its intensity had greatly increased. Numerous spells had been cast already, leaving the windows of buildings cracked and shattered, lampposts toppled, and the road cratered. But Stitch had no time to worry about the numerous 'destruction of public property' laws he was breaking, for he was now zigzagging down the street as dozens upon dozens of ice spears slammed into the ground around him. Stitch winced as one nicked his shoulder but continued to run straight for Slushy.

"Punchito!" yelled Lilo, abandoning her nonchalant attitude for a more battle appropriate one.

With a snarl Stitch threw his blazing fist at Slushy's head, but the icy experiment simply sidestepped the attack. As he did, he drew back his right arm and mounted a large grin across his face.

"Aihoshi!" said Jacob with a grin of his own.

Stitch gasped as he watched Slushy's arm morph into the shape of a mace, which, a second later, slammed into Stitch's gut. Stitch was knocked high into the air as he tried to catch the breath that had been knocked from him. But despite the harsh blow, Stitch managed to right himself and began to fall back to earth. Unfortunately, Slushy and Jacob were not about to let him down so easily.

Jacob flipped a few more pages. "Gigano-Doornido!" the young man read as his face was illuminated by the book.

Slushy took in another deep breath, but instead of exhaling toward Stitch or Lilo the tiny experiment blew his frosty mist across the ground. Immediately, a thin sheet of ice began to form, traveling across the ground to a point directly beneath where Stitch was going to land. The thin sheet of ice suddenly erupted up into massive, jagged spikes that poked out in all directions like the spines of a cactus.

"Let's see you land gracefully now, Blue Butt!" taunted Slushy with a laugh.

However, unseen by Slushy, Stitch smirked. He and Lilo had come against this type of spell in all its variants before, and so they no longer posed a threat. Slushy saw this first hand as Stitch indeed landed gracefully atop one of the spikes, placing his feet on either side of the point. Just then, from out of the corner of his eye, Stitch noticed the ice around him start to expand outward. The blue experiment let out a sharp gasp as two more spikes shot up at him from either side. Leaping up into the air faster than the eye could see he easily dodged the spikes, allowing them to crisscross right where he had been standing. Un-phased Stitch immediately set his sights back upon Slushy, who had an impressed look upon his face.

"Balren Zashi!" called Lilo with a swipe of her hand.

As Stitch flew through the air his body became surrounded in an aura of blue energy. At the same time three, black tipped, spikes extended from the middle of his back. Stitch lurched forward, curling his body up into a tight ball, and began to fall toward Slushy, spinning as he went.

Jacob hurriedly flipped through the book. "Rikka Shi-Rudo!" shouted Jacob.

With another deep breath Slushy spewed his icy mist out in front of him. The icy particles formed into a massive snowflake just in time to block Stitch's spinning body. Slushy winced as he fought to keep up his defense, but Stitch, his spines acting like blades slowly began to eat away at the shield. Slushy let out another sharp gasp as cracks began to streak across the snowflake. Then, in a flash, the snowflake shattered into hundreds of pieces, but before Slushy could react Stitch snapped out of his spinning ball and cocked his fist back. Slushy didn't even have time to blink before he took a powerful "Punchito" spell to the cheek, sending him flying into the front of a store on the other side of the street.

'I won't be surprised if the police show up at the door tomorrow to arrest me for vandalism.' thought Lilo, her head dropping as the store's sign fell to the ground. "Why'd you guys have to go and choose a public street for this battle?" shouted Lilo towards Jacob.

"Don't blame me, blame him," said Jacob as he motioned toward where Slushy had crashed, "he chose this place not me."

At that moment, Slushy appeared in the gaping hole that he had made, a large smile still on his face. "Looks like your punch has gotten a lot better, Blue Butt," said Slushy casually as he ran his pointed hand over a gash on his cheek, "you definitely haven't been slacking off that's for sure."

"I wish I could say the same for you, Slushy. But you haven't even drawn blood yet, not even a little bit." said Stitch with a small smirk of his own.

"Is that how you gauge your opponent's strength, by how much of your blood they can spill?" asked Slushy as he raised one brow, "It's a little crude but I like it. But in order for you to gauge my strength, I'll have to spill all of your blood!"

Stitch quickly looked over toward Jacob, who had the white book shining brightly. "Gai-Burizan!" the blue haired boy shouted.

Looking back toward Slushy, Stitch saw the icy experiment blow a large cloud of icy mist right at him. But this time the mist did not change into any other form; it simply continued to come right at him. Just then, Stitch's keen eyes detected why; it was not a simple cloud of ice particles coming at him, each particle was shaped like a scythe blade! With little time to spare Stitch vanished, allowing the deadly mist to engulf a car parked on the side of the road, which was reduced to metal shavings in an instant.

'Wow, this guy's got some lethal spells,' thought Lilo as she watched the mist shred the car, "if Stitch had taken a direct hit from that he would have been done for.'

Fortunately, the attack hadn't even touched Stitch, who reappeared behind Slushy as if nothing had happened. "You'll never defeat me with slow attacks like that." smirked Stitch.

Slushy quickly spun around to face his opponent while Stitch pulled his open paw backwards. "Kujido!" read Lilo with a smile of her own.

As soon as slushy had turned, Stitch slammed his open palm into Slushy's chest. The cold experiment's eyes shot open as a wave of energy passed through him and then burst from his back, taking his breath with it. Once again Slushy shot across the street, this time slamming into Jacob who was knocked a few feet back by the impact. The two fell to the ground, both trying to regain their breaths.

"You're lucky," blurted Stitch with a small chuckle, "that attack would have ended this fight if you had a body like mine. Ordinarily, that spell will damage or even destroy organs and other soft tissue, but because your insides aren't the same as most the attack only did half the damage."

Slushy pushed himself up to his knees and looked down at his chest. To his surprise there were numerous cracks spider-webbing out from the center of his chest. "Damn… you." growled Slushy as he continued to try and catch his breath.

Despite the grin on Stitch's face the experiment felt very confused. 'I don't get it,' he thought, 'how can I be winning so easily? I can sense that this guy's power is incredible and yet I'm doing damage without really trying. Is he holding back his power?'

"What's wrong with you," Stitch finally asked as he watched his opponent get to his feet, "I know you're stronger than this. Why are you holding back?"

Slushy just glared at Stitch with a look that could have killed. All of a sudden, as Jacob now got to his feet, Slushy began to laugh, slowly at first but it soon grew into a full-blown laugh. "You fool, I was only holding back for your sake! I didn't want to overwhelm you. But since you apparently don't care about that, I'll let you see what I can really do!"

With a single, swift, motion Jacob turned a page in the book and placed his finger down onto one of the numerous lines of alien text. The spell book erupted with a bright light, forcing Stitch to cover his face with his arm.

"Aisayado!" summoned Jacob.

With a twisted smirk on his face Slushy pointed his arm at Stitch. A second later the ice experiment's tiny appendage extended rapidly toward it's target, morphing into a massive arrow head as it went. Stitch lowered his arm just in time to see the attack coming and using his speed managed to dodge. Lilo's jaw dropped as the massive arrow slammed into the store, reducing it to rubble in an instant. As the last bricks fell to the ground Stitch reappeared to the left of Slushy and his partner. This time, however, Slushy was ready and quickly spun to face him, launching an "Aisarendo" spell as soon as Stitch was in his sights. Caught only a little off guard Stitch managed to leap into the air above the spell. Unfortunately, Lilo was not as nimble and had to throw herself to the ground to dodge the blast of frozen projectiles.

"Stitch," yelled Lilo angrily, "what did I tell you about watching how you dodge an attack?"

"Oops, sorry, Lilo." said Stitch with an innocent smile.

With that Stitch snapped his focus back on Slushy, who seemed to be trying to think of what to do next. A small smirk crossed Stitch's lips as he saw his opening. The tiny blue experiment landed and once again, using his blinding speed, vanished into thin air. Slushy gasped and quickly looked over his shoulder but Stitch didn't appear. Instead, playing off of his opponent's expectations, Stitch appeared right in front of the icy experiment.

"Kenchito!" yelled Lilo with a smile.

Stitch quickly jumped into the air, bringing his foot level with Slushy's head as it became surrounded in blue energy. Slushy, realizing his mistake, quickly turned forward, but it was too late, for Stitch's kick slammed right into Slushy's cheek. A pleased grin crossed Stitch's face as he watched his opponents face contort from the impact. But his grin disappeared as Slushy's head suddenly shattered. Stitch landed from his attack and then leapt backwards closer to Lilo as Slushy's headless body fell first to its knees and then straight onto its stomach. A terrified expression flashed over Lilo's face as she stared at the chunks of ice on the ground that were once Slushy's head.

"Stitch… I… I think you over did it!" exclaimed the girl.

"Th… that's never happened before. I didn't mean to kick him that hard!" said Stitch as he held his head in panic.

"Do we call 911 or something?" asked Lilo frantically.

"I don't know; his book's self destruct device should have kicked in!"

Just then, the sound of Slushy's laughter reached the two friends ears. Both looked back toward where he had fallen to see the pieces of ice melting into water, which flowed through the air and back to Slushy's body. The icy experiment's head slowly began to reform as he pushed himself back up onto his feet.

"The self destruct device only triggers when an experiment has suffered a near fatal wound," Slushy's half formed head began to say, "For most, losing their head would indeed qualify, but like you said earlier, my body is not like yours. I can be pulverized into snow and I can still regenerate!"

Stitch and Lilo both looked on with morbid fascination as Slushy's head regained its original shape; even the gash on his cheek was gone. "So don't go thinking you can kill him or anything, cause he'll just keep coming back." said Jacob in a taunting manner.

"That's got to eat up your strength though." said Stitch with a raised eyebrow.

"Not as much as you may think," said Slushy as an evil smirk, allow me to demonstrate."

"Gigano-Nashorn!" called Jacob as he pointed dramatically at Stitch.

Like Jack Frost Slushy sent a wave of icy dust heading right for Stitch. But suddenly, the icy dust came together to form a massive block of ice that was shaped like a rhinoceros with three mighty horns. Stitch's jaw dropped as the massive creature came toward him, tearing up the road like a ship through water. Snapping out of his amazement Stitch raised his arms out in front of him and braced him self for the impact. However, he miscalculated the spells strength and was immediately pushed backward by the icy beast. Stitch clenched his teeth and dug his feet into the pavement as he strained to halt the monstrosity. He winced as one of the creature three horns pierced his shoulder.

"Lilo, give me a spell!" Stitch shouted as he and the summoned beast slid past the girl.

"Right, Gigano-Punchito!" said Lilo.

With a fierce growl Stitch began to push himself back. Keeping one paw on the beast he cocked his fist back and with blue energy screaming forth brought it down upon the creature's forehead. Luckily, Stitch's attack stopped the spell dead in its tracks, however it did not destroy it. Instead, the two spells now fought to gain control of one another. Stitch dug his feet deeper into the ground as he began to push Slushy's spell back. Finally, cracks began to spread across the rhino's head and with one final push from Stitch the mighty creature shattered.

"You see, even after all the hits I've taken from you I'm am far from weak." laughed Slushy as he watched Stitch fall to his knees trying to catch his breath.

"And just because one of your spells gave me a rough time doesn't mean you have me beat." responded Stitch as he got to his feet.

"That may be true, but I' am starting to spill more blood." said Slushy as he pointed to the open wound on Stitch's shoulder.

Stitch glanced casually at his wounded shoulder and the blood running down his arm. After a moment, an arrogant grin appeared on his face. "This is nothing. I've taken far worse hits than this."

"Is that so," questioned Slushy, "ok then, I guess I'll just have to keep trying!"

Just then, Jacob flipped a page and filled the book with his energy. "Nika-Aisayado!"

Slushy once again raised his arm toward Stitch and launched it like a spear. But instead of forming into a single arrow, Slushy's arm split into multiple arrows that came at Stitch from all sides. With a smirk Stitch disappeared right as the arrows slammed into the ground, provoking a frustrated growl from Slushy.

"I told you, your attacks are far too slow!" shouted Stitch, drawing Slushy's and Jacobs's attention skyward.

Slushy's eyes widened as he watched Stitch dive down toward him, his fist cocked and ready. "This should do some damage, Gigano-Punchito!" said Lilo with a pump of her fist.

With little time to spare, Slushy retracted his arm and then crossed them in front of his face just as Stitch's punch slammed into him. Jacob was knocked on his butt and Lilo had to cover her face as the impact sent a shockwave through the area. A second later they both looked back to see a large pillar of dust lingering in the air over where Stitch and Slushy had been. Both watched eagerly as the dust slowly dispersed. Finally, the two combatants became visible. Stitch and Slushy now sat at the bottom of a large crater, Stitch's fist still pressing down on Slushy's arms. The ice experiment growled as he strained to keep Stitch's fist at bay, while Stitch seemed to be hardly trying at all. The two continued to try and overcome one another for several moments, even as cracks began to streak across Slushy's arms.

'This still doesn't make sense,' thought Stitch as he stared into his opponents eyes, 'he couldn't possibly be giving it all he's got. Why does he continue to hold back?'

"Damn it, I'm not going to let you win." growled Slushy as he began to push Stitch's fist back.

Then, with a single push, Slushy knocked away Stitch's fist, leaving him wide open to an attack. Without even considering the use of a spell Slushy thrust his arm forward in an attempt to impale Stitch. But his pointed arm struck nothing but air as Stitch vanished and reappeared down the street near Lilo.

'Well, it looks like this will be an easy win for Stitch,' thought Lilo as she looked over at her partner, a sad smile on her face, 'at least I can be happy knowing that your dream will come true.'

Exhausted, Slushy only managed to stumble up out of the crater, glaring furiously at Stitch. "Never would I have believed… that you'd be this strong of an opponent, Blue Butt," said Slushy as he stood hunched over, "You've definitely grown into one hell of a fighter."

"You really think so?" asked Stitch half jokingly.

Slushy just smiled. "But you still have a long way to go before you can match me. Jacob, use it!"

Jacob nodded and began to flip pages in the white book as Lilo and Stitch looked on confusedly. "Besa-Furiku!" summoned Jacob as the book lit up like a torch.

With a final laugh, Slushy began to take a deep breath, his cheeks and chest growing larger than they had before. Stitch lowered himself in preparation for what he could only assume was going to be a fast and powerful spell. Slushy finally released his breath, sending a huge wave of icy mist down the street toward Lilo and Stitch. Unable to dodge the icy cloud, due to its immense size, Stitch braced himself for the spells effect, but as the cloud passed by he felt only a refreshing breeze. Lilo, expecting the worst, turned her back to the cloud and shielded the blue book with her body, however she too only felt a cool breeze pass over her. The cloud disappeared and the two friends slowly lowered their defenses. Their jaws then dropped as they looked upon the sight that lay before them. The entire street was covered in a layer of ice! The streets, sidewalks, buildings, lampposts, and even the ground beneath their feet were completely blanketed in ice.

"Behold, Blue Butt, this is the effect of my absolute favorite spell!" smiled Slushy.

"What exactly is it supposed to do," asked Stitch as he looked around, scratching his head in confusion, "freeze the opponents toes off or something?"

"Not quite." grinned Slushy as he watched Stitch take a step forward.

Suddenly, as Stitch's foot touched down onto the ice, he found himself falling forward at a very high rate of speed. Lilo winced as Stitch slammed face first into the ice. "I see, so it makes everything slippery." groaned Stitch as he brought his arms in to push himself up. But as he pressed down on his paws he once again fell face first onto the ice. "Oww, what the hell? What's going on?" asked Stitch as he continued to try and push himself up to no avail.

"You see that is the true nature of this spell. It doesn't just make things slippery; it removes all friction from the battlefield. So no matter how hard you try you'll never be able to push yourself back up. Keep that in mind girly," explained Slushy as he glanced over at Lilo, "if you don't want to fall on your ass I suggest you don't move a muscle."

'Damn it, this isn't good at all.' thought Lilo as she clenched her fists.

"Wait a minute," blurted Stitch as he raised his head toward Slushy, "if there is no friction how do you plan on fighting, huh?"

"Don't you worry about that," laughed Slushy, "it took me a while to get the hang of it but I learned how to fight in this environment. Now it's about time that I defeated you. Your speed and strength were nearly impossible for me to over come, but with this spell," Slushy laughed before suddenly vanishing in the blink of an eye and reappearing next to Stitch, "I'm am the fastest and the strongest experiment around!"

Before Stitch could do anything, Slushy kicked him in the side and sent him flying through the air like a bullet. Lilo raised her arms in front of her face as she watched Stitch head right for a storefront, expecting debris to go flying in all directions. But instead, Stitch slammed into the store window and bounced off, blood and spit spewing from his mouth upon impact.

"He… didn't even scratch the ice!" said Lilo to herself in disbelief.

"Not only does this ice disperse friction, it also disperses energy, effectively making it indestructible!" laughed Slushy before disappearing once again.

This time the icy experiment appeared right beneath Stitch as he fell to the ground. With a swing from his pointed arm Slushy sent Stitch spiraling down the street. Dazed, Stitch slammed down onto the sidewalk and slid halfway down the street before being stopped by Slushy's pointed foot coming down on his wounded shoulder. Stitch screamed in pain and quickly grabbed onto his attackers leg, trying to lift it out of his wound. But Stitch could not even budge Slushy's leg, leaving the cold-hearted experiment to press down further into Stitch's wound.

"You see now how futile your efforts are," laughed Slushy as he continued to watch Stitch writhe in pain, "no matter how strong you are, as long as I could use this spell your defeat was assured! Oh how fun this has become!"

"Stop it," screamed Lilo, her stomach twisted into knots by Stitch's painful screams, "stop torturing him like that! At the very least help him to his feet so that he can defend himself!"

Slushy just turned and smiled at the girl. "And what reason do I have to do that?"

"If you don't stop… I'll make you!" yelled Lilo furiously.

"And just how do you suppose you'll do that? Your partner here is in too much pain to use a spell effectively and there certainly isn't anything you can do." said Slushy in a mocking tone.

"Don't underestimate us," growled the young girl as the blue book erupted with light, "Kujido!"

Slushy gasped and looked down to see Stitch, still contorted with pain, slam his paw into his leg. The icy experiment's eyes widened as a pulse of energy shattered his leg and freed Stitch from his suffering. Unfortunately for Lilo, the mere force exerted by the books illumination sent her sliding backwards into a mailbox a few yards away, knocking the wind from her instantly.

"Damn it, how could I have forgotten about that spell?" asked Slushy, who still managed to stay standing on one leg.

"See… I told you not to underestimate us." laughed Lilo.

"I see you and Blue Butt here share the same arrogance. It doesn't matter though; there is no way I can lose to you when I'm surrounded by my element. Though, that spell of yours will definitely cause trouble."

The little smirk that sat on Lilo's face suddenly vanished along with Slushy. The young Hawaiian gave a sharp gasp as the icy experiment appeared right next to her. 'He can still move that fast on one leg?' thought Lilo with a certain sense of amazement.

Then, with a swift smack, Slushy knocked the blue book from Lilo's hands. Time seemed to slow down as she watched the book fly through the air. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as she followed the book down to the ground. The moment the blue book hit the ground Slushy's book lit up.

"Furi-Zan!" shouted Jacob from a small circle of un-frozen pavement.

Lilo felt like her heart had stopped as she watched Slushy spit a large glob of water at the book. In an instant the glob of water struck the book and encased it in a block of ice. Lilo's tension eased slightly when she saw that the book had not been destroyed, but the fact that Stitch was now on his own stayed ever present in her mind. Before Lilo could look back toward her friend, Slushy appeared right next to him and drove his pointed arm into Stitch's shoulder. Stitch let out another blood curdling scream as Slushy skewered his shoulder and lifted him into the air.

"Stitch!" screamed Lilo, tears welling in her eyes.

"I could burn your book right now, but instead I'm going to bat you around for awhile until you learn your place beneath me, Blue Butt!" laughed Slushy with a twisted smile.

With another "Aihoshi" spell Slushy sent Stitch flying up into the air, before tumbling back down like a lifeless doll. Slushy let out an all too pleased cackle as he slammed his mace-like arm into Stitch before he could even hit the ground. With blood and drool trailing from the corners of his mouth Stitch flew across the street where he bounced off another storefront. But once again, Slushy would not give him even a moments rest, for right as Stitch was about to land, Slushy's mace came down on his back. Stitch's jaw fell open in a silent scream as he felt his body being crushed under the force of Slushy's attack.

"Where's that confidant talk now, huh?" shouted Slushy as he kicked Stitch back up into the air.

"We got him on the ropes now," said Jacob with a smile, "Aisaredo!"

Nearly unconscious, Stitch was unable to defend himself as the honeycomb shaped chunks of ice cut him all over. Fortunately, this meant that the pain was lessened. At that moment Lilo wished that she were the one on the verge of unconsciousness. At least then she would not be have to watch her best friend be beaten to a pulp. She even wished that she could be the one taking the brunt of the attacks, that way Stitch wouldn't have to suffer.

'I have to do something,' she thought with tears rolling down her cheeks, 'I have to help him. I can't let him be beaten like this, but what can I do? I have to get the book some how, but if I try to move I'll just go sliding down the street.'

Lilo felt close to losing her lunch as she watched Stitch take a chunk of ice to the gut, causing him to spit out more blood and saliva. His seemingly lifeless body slammed down onto the street, only to have Slushy punt him like a soccer ball.

'No, when did I start thinking so negatively,' Lilo's fists now clenched so tight that her knuckles popped, 'I'm not going to let Stitch get defeated, not after all we've been through! I'm going to get that book!'

Without another thought Lilo sprung into action. Using Slushy's own spell to her advantage, Lilo threw her arm out to the side away from the book. The thrust created sent Lilo sliding along the ground right toward the book. As she was about to pass it she reached forward and grabbed onto the frozen block of ice that held the book. Luckily, the book had been frozen to the ground and the ice that covered it was not frictionless. Lilo then gently pulled herself up to the frozen book and quickly looked it over. The book was encased in a thick layer of ice, which made busting it by hand impossible. Lilo quickly looked around for something she could use to chip away at the ice, but the only thing she had were her shoes. Ignoring how poor an ice pick tennis shoes made, Lilo began to wail on the block of ice with a shoe in one hand and her other holding the block tightly.

"Come on, break dammit, break!" she growled as she rained blow after blow down upon the ice.

At that moment and ice arrow across his chest sent Stitch flying down to the street. Stitch crashed to the ground and slid down the street, only stopping when he rammed head first into a lamppost. At the same time Slushy landed softly in front of Jacob, panting heavily, but with a smile on his face.

"What a wonderful feeling, I haven't felt so alive in a long time," said Slushy, "You really do make a great punching bag, Blue butt. I've never fought someone who could take so much punishment."

To everyone's surprise Stitch raised his head and gave a weak smile. "I… wouldn't… call this a fight."

Slushy just laughed, but as he did he noticed Lilo still trying to smash the spell book free from its icy prison. "Do you really think you're going to get anywhere doing that?"

Lilo paused for a moment and glared up at Slushy. "Me and Stitch have been through far too much to allow me to just sit back and do nothing. Even if it means I have to break my hands getting to this book, I'm going to make Stitch champion!"

"How noble of you, but I'm afraid his fate is sealed. There is no longer anything you can do. Now before you go and waste any more of your own strength, I think I'll do the merciful thing and end this battle and this tournament. I've grown bored of this anyway. Jacob, it's been good, but if you wouldn't mind casting one last spell to finish this off I'll be on my way."

"Certainly, it's been fun, little guy." smiled Jacob as he flipped through a few pages in the book.

As the white spell book began to glow, Lilo turned back to her own frozen book and resumed trying to smash it free, a frenzied and desperate feeling behind each smack.

"Come on, break, break, break!" shouted Lilo as tears once again began to flow down her cheeks.

"It's over, Dioga Hitsus Voran!" yelled Jacob as he threw his fist in the air triumphantly.

Stitch began to growl in frustration as he watched Slushy take in a deep breath. 'This can't be the end,' thought Stitch angrily, 'I can't lose like this! I've come too far to lose like this!'

Slushy now released his breath as yet another massive cloud of icy mist. The cloud instantly began to coalesce into three long, solid objects. Lilo's jaw dropped as she watched the three objects form into a massive three-headed dragon, with large, jagged teeth, and horns protruding from their heads. The young girl became paralyzed with fear as she watched the three heads aim right for Stitch.

"Damn it, damn it," cursed Stitch to himself as he tried desperately to gain a foot hold on the ice, "This can't be happening! I can't let Lilo down like this!"

Only feet from their target the three dragon heads opened their gaping jaws, ready to tear into Stitch and forever end his hopes of becoming champion.

"Damn it!" screamed Stitch as he lowered his head and closed his eyes, waiting for the impact of the powerful spell.

Suddenly, as the three heads were about to strike, a large, black object fell from the sky and crashed down onto the necks of the dragons. In the blink of an eye the heads of the dragons were severed clean from their bodies, causing the ferocious beasts to revert to their misty forms. At the same time, every inch of Slushy's "invincible" ice was shattered like fragile chinaware.

"What, what is going on!" screamed Slushy as he watched his spell dissipated and his frictionless ice destroyed.

Both Lilo and Stitch's eyes shot wide open as the shards of ice flew into the air and vanished as if they never existed. Lilo was too shocked to realize that the force of the impact even shattered the ice that surrounded the blue book. As the dust from the impact settled every eye fell upon the large object. Stitch was speechless as he now found himself staring at a large, thick, black wall with spikes running around its edge and a demonic face imprinted on the side.

'Where… where did that thing come from?' thought Stitch, his inner voice trembling just as much as his body.

"For the love of god, that's twice now I've had to save your sorry ass." said a sudden, familiar voice, in a displeased tone.

Both Lilo and Stitch's eyes grew even larger as the voice filled their ears. Slowly, the two of them looked up toward where the voice had come from, neither truly believing what they saw. For right before their eyes, standing casually atop one of the buildings with her arms folded over her chest, and a pair of purple sunglasses on her face, was Angel.

"An…angel?" stammered Stitch as his mind struggled to make sense of what was going on.

"You really are hopeless, Stitch," blurted Angel as she looked down on him through her sunglasses, "After all this time you still haven't learned how to fight."

The pink experiment then reached up and lowered her sunglasses, exposing her deep black eyes. "Allow me to show you how it's done." said Angel with a toothy smile.

**Well that's the end of this chapter! I'm really impressed at how fast I got through this one. I had almost no trouble thinking up dialogue and such. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it. The next chapter will be up shortly. Please review.**


	4. A Rivals Request

The Tejina Chronicles: Final Days

By: Kioko the pirate

Chapter 4: A Rivals Request

The battle that Lilo and Stitch thought would end the tournament and separate them forever had taken a weird twist. Just as they thought their dreams would be dashed, and subsequently devoured by Slushy's icy dragons, there appeared an experiment that they never expected to see again. An experiment that they were positive had died in a horrific explosion. But now their whole perception of the events that had helped motivate them to become stronger had been turned on their heads.

"Angel…I can't believe it… she's alive,' thought Stitch as he continued to stare up at the beautiful, pink experiment, 'but that's impossible. We watched the "World One" explode, there's no way she could have survived. This can't be real. No, it must be real, it has to be.'

Lilo couldn't pull her eyes away from the female experiment either. Her mind burned with the same questions that coursed through Stitch's. 'Angel's alive? But how, how did she survive that blast?'

For the moment their questions went unanswered, they were in the middle of a battle after all. But now there was a new challenger on the field and Slushy was most displeased. The icy experiment growled deeply as he glared up at the interloper, who merely looked back down at him with an arrogant smile.

"And just who the hell are you?" snarled Slushy.

"It doesn't matter who I am," responded Angel as she turned to face the cold experiment, "you won't be around long enough to even bother with introductions."

Slushy's growl grew louder. "How dare you use such a condescending tone with me, you little bitch!"

"You know, for an ice based experiment, you sure are hot-blooded." said Angel as she casually examined her nails.

Jacob gulped and took a few steps back as his partner became increasingly infuriated. Finally, Slushy's anger and frustration got the better of him, bursting forth like a wave of scolding hot water.

"You know what, I don't care who you are! I'm just going to beat you to a pulp like I did Blue Butt over there! And since you obviously are pretty strong, I'm not going to hold back!" screamed Slushy with an insane expression on his face. "Jacob, let's make her regret ever interfering with us!"

Jacob nodded and flipped a few pages in the spell book. "Dioga Aisayado!"

With a twisted expression Slushy raised his arm toward Angel. Immediately, the experiments pointed hand split into three tips, each forming into highly ornate spearheads. Angel's smile widened as she watched the experiments arm morph into a trident. Suddenly, Slushy's arm blasted toward its target, sending out shockwaves that tore through the ground. Both Lilo and Stitch gasped, it was one of the fastest spells they had ever seen. In a fraction of a second it struck its target, obliterating the rooftop in the process. While Lilo and Stitch looked on in horror, Slushy began to laugh hysterically, nearly falling to his knees. But just then, his laughter stopped as he felt a tug on his arm, which still lingered in the cloud of dust that covered the top of the building.

With a sharp gasp Slushy looked up into the vanishing cloud, which, to everyone's surprise, revealed an unscathed Angel. Her toothy grin still stretched across her face as she held tightly onto the center spear of the trident.

"Was that it?" asked Angel, tilting her head to one side, "Pathetic."

With a simple twist of her wrist Angel shattered the trident. Slushy's eyes widened in shock as he watched the remains of his spell fall to the ground, vanishing into thin air a moment later.

"My, my, you all should be ashamed of yourselves." came another familiar voice from behind Slushy and Jacob. Lilo and Stitch's jaws fell once again as they looked past Slushy and Jacob, who also whipped around to face the voice, to see Kioko strolling up the street.

As usual a smirk sat upon his face as he made his way up to Slushy and Jacob. "You should know better than to fight in the middle of a public street, especially when using such high level spells. I know you two know better." said Kioko as he pointed to Lilo and Stitch.

"Took you long enough to get here." mocked Angel as she sat down on the edge of what remained of the roof.

"Well I'm sorry that I lack your speed." replied Kioko as he glanced up at his partner.

"I assume that you are her partner then?" asked Slushy as he eyed up the man.

"Indeed I am." said Kioko as he held up the black book.

Just then, an evil smile crossed Slushy's face. "I see, obviously you two have grown quite strong throughout this tournament," said Slushy as he glanced at Jacob, who gave a small nod, "but it looks like you haven't gotten any smarter! Getting so close to your opponent without your experiment at your side, how foolish! Jacob use a spell now!"

Without hesitation Jacob flipped a few pages in the white book and summoned an "Aisaredo" spell. Both Lilo and Stitch's hearts stopped for a moment as the chunks of razor sharp ice blasted toward Kioko. But the man's smile didn't even fade. With seemingly inhuman agility Kioko dodged every chunk of ice that came his way. As the spell faded Slushy and Jacob, as well as Lilo and Stitch, were left with expressions of disbelief.

"That was a mistake." said Kioko after a short chuckle.

Slushy took a cautious step backward as he looked up at Kioko, but as he did something to his right caught his eye. The icy experiment turned and found him self staring into Angel's pink palm.

"Wh…when did she?" stammered Slushy.

Stitch, who was still looking at the spot where Angel had been, looked toward her with astonishment. "She's so fast, I didn't even see her move!"

Slushy took another step back as the black book began to glow with its eerie black light. "See ya." said Angel with a smile.

"Darkoten." said Kioko with the same casual tone that Lilo had used at the beginning of the fight.

In a flash Slushy was engulfed in the orb of swirling, dark energy, and purple sparks. Even over the roar of the spell Slushy's painful screams reached everyone's ears. Suddenly, as Jacob looked on in terror, the white book exploded into green flames. Jacob yelped and dropped the book to the ground, where it disintegrated in an instant. As the dark orb faded both the white book and Slushy were gone, a small crater taking his place. The street now fell into silence as everyone stared speechlessly at Kioko and Angel. Just then, as Stitch stared at the two partners, he was struck by a realization.

'Wait a minute, this isn't right. Slushy's been defeated but I still feel his power bearing down on me. How is that possible? Unless…' Stitch's eyes fell onto Angel, 'I've been sensing her power this whole time! That would explain why Slushy wasn't proving a challenge; I was overestimating him. Angel's power overshadowed his so much that I couldn't distinguish between the two! How'd she get so powerful in only a year?'

Stitch was not the only one in awe of Angel's strength. Sweat now ran down Jacobs face as he looked between the pink experiment and her partner. He never could have imagined that his partner could be defeated by a single spell, even after being drained of his strength after a fight. Just then a thought occurred in the boys mind. There was no reason why his partner, his friend, should have been defeated!

'We were so close,' thought Jacob, 'Slushy was going to win. But no, those two just had to show up and ruin it! What cowards, attacking an experiment when he's weak and acting like they're hot stuff. They're nothing but egotistical cowards!'

Without another thought, Jacob bent down and grabbed a shard of glass that lay on the street. With his face turning red with anger, the boy took aim at Kioko and charged forward with a yell. Kioko seemed taken off guard at first, but as the boy got closer a calm smirk crossed his face. With an enraged scream Jacob thrust the razor sharp piece of glass right toward Kioko's gut. But before it could make contact, Kioko grabbed a hold of Jacob's wrist and in a flash drove his fist into Jacob's stomach. The boy's eyes shot open as his breath was knocked from him and he fell to his knees.

"Give it up, kid. It's over," said Kioko as he and Angel walked around Jacob, leaving the boy to fall over onto his side. "So, can we offer you two some help getting home?" Kioko asked.

"You mean you two don't want to fight us now?" asked Stitch with genuine curiosity.

"Are you kidding me," laughed Angel as she walked over in front of Stitch, placing her paws on her hips, "look at you. As beat up as you are, a small child could wipe the floor with you."

"Glad to see you haven't lost your sense of compassion," joked Stitch, "So how long have you two been watching?"

"Long enough to see you get your butt handed to you." chimed Kioko.

"Hey, we were winning before Slushy used that anti-friction spell." replied Lilo as she crossed her arms defensively.

"That wouldn't have mattered if we hadn't shown up." smiled Kioko. "Now, shall we get you two back home so that you can tend to your wounds?"

Lilo was both surprised and relieved when the boy knelt down and offered his hand to her. But as she slowly reached up to take his hand a sudden bolt of pride made her withdraw. "I'm fine, I can get there on my own." the girl said defiantly as she got to her feet.

"Me too." agreed Stitch as he tried to get to his feet. But unlike Lilo, the experiment had little strength left and could only manage to lift himself an inch or two off the ground before falling back.

"Bull," blurted Angel as she reached down and grabbed Stitch's arm. Stitch winced painfully as he was lifted to his feet and his good arm was draped over Angel's shoulders, "you need all the help you can get right now."

Stitch only gave a defeated sigh as he was helped away by the female experiment. For the first half of the trip back to Lilo and Stitch's house the conversation was dominated by talk of the battle with Slushy. Stitch only wished he had been knocked unconscious, because a majority of what was said were criticisms by Angel. He felt like he was being scolded, but fortunately for him the conversation soon switched over to the questions that had been on his and Lilo's minds since they first saw the female experiment.

"So let me ask you two, what the hell happened on that ship?" asked Lilo, looking at Kioko and Angel as if they had performed some great magic trick.

"We defeated 6-2-7, what else?" responded Kioko with a small laugh.

Lilo just rolled her eyes. "That much is obvious. But how did you two survive that explosion? From where we were it looked like it tore apart the entire ship."

"To be honest, your guess as to how we survived is just as good as ours," said Kioko as he placed his hands on the back of his head and gave a sigh, "The only thing I can think of is that when we used the final spell it teleported us away, or something, to keep us from being caught up in the blast."

"Final spell? Was that the giant eye ball we saw in the sky?" asked Lilo.

"That's right," smiled Kioko, "6-2-7 had us on the ropes, but at the last moment we unlocked the last spell in the book, which subsequently unlocked all the remaining spells in the book, and with it we defeated him."

"Wait, you've unlocked every spell in the book?" blurted Stitch in disbelief.

"You betcha'." smiled Angel proudly as Stitch's jaw dropped in amazement.

"So, where exactly did that spell transport you to? It couldn't have been anywhere on Hawaii, we would have seen you before now." said Lilo.

"Believe it or not that spell transported us to Japan." blurted Angel as she looked up at Lilo.

"Japan?" exclaimed Lilo.

"That was our reaction," said Kioko as he lowered his arms and tucked his hands in his pockets, "neither of us can remember anything about how we got there, the only memory we have, after 6-2-7, is us waking up on a beach in the middle of the night. At first we thought we were on one of the Hawaiian Islands, but after an hour of walking we came upon the city of Tokyo."

"Wow, but wait… if you guys landed in Japan, why'd it take you so long to get back? It's not like Japan's a deserted island." asked the young girl.

"Well our problem was funding," laughed Kioko, "You see, I don't have a bank account that I could access and my wallet was still in our room when the ship exploded, so, needless to say, we were penniless. And as it turns out, the airlines don't give free tickets to people who lost their cash in a fight with a super-powered alien experiment. So Angel and I were forced to find some way of earning money to get home."

"How'd you do that?" asked Stitch.

"By taking any job we could, that's how. Since we don't know Japanese our options were limited. We ended up working for this tiny, hole-in-the-wall restaurant. I got a job as a waiter and cook, while Angel got a job working on street corners." explained Kioko.

"Oh my god, Angel," gasped Stitch as he looked over to her, "I'm ashamed of you! You should know better than to sell your body like that."

"Not like that you imbecile," growled Angel as she tightened her grip on Stitch's neck, causing the blue experiment to wince, "they had me holding up a sign for the restaurant."

"Though, you did have that one fat, creepy guy ask you for some 'special time'." remarked Kioko.

"Yeah well, I gave him some 'special time' with my fist in his doughy face." Angel said as she threw a punch with her free arm.

Kioko just chuckled while Lilo and Stitch only smiled awkwardly. "Anyway, this place barely paid anything, so it took us almost an entire year to save up enough money. Even then we only got enough to buy our way onto a Russian cargo ship that was heading to Hawaii. But they didn't like us being passengers so they put us to work, me as a cook, due to my newfound experience, and Angel as a deck hand because of her excessive strength. Then, after a couple weeks at sea, we arrived in Hawaii, just in time to save your butts."

"Sounds like you two had an interesting adventure." smiled Lilo.

"It stunk," blurted Angel, "usually I'm not the type of girl who gripes about her appearance, but that musty cargo ship murdered my fur. It feels slimy."

"You smell like day old fish and vodka." said Stitch after sniffing Angel's arm, which once again caused Angel's paw to clamp down on his neck.

"You're lucky that you're so injured, otherwise I'd punt you to the other side of the island." growled Angel as her eyebrow twitched in anger.

"It's ok, Angel. You can get cleaned up at our house, both of you can. You can even stay for dinner if you want." offered Lilo.

"Really?" asked Angel, surprised by the girls offer.

"That's very nice of you, Lilo," Kioko said with an equally surprised tone, "thank you. It has been a while since we had a home cooked meal."

"Or a hot shower for that matter." added Angel.

"I agree with that." said Stitch with a sly smile.

Angel's patience finally snapped and in an instant she had Stitch in a headlock, forcing his nose into her armpit. "How does it smell under there, huh?" shouted Angel as Stitch struggled to get free.

Lilo and Kioko could only laugh at the antics of their partners as they made the final turn onto the driveway leading to the house. Needless to say, Nani was surprised, not just by the fact that Stitch was still around, but that Lilo and him had brought home guests. However, it didn't take long for everyone to get settled in. After getting themselves cleaned up, Kioko and Angel joined their hosts for a steaming hot meal. The conversation consisted mainly of humorous stories that Kioko and Angel had gathered in Japan and at sea. But as the meal drew to a close the conversation became more subdued.

"I still can't believe you two are here. I mean you can't imagine how relieved I was when you showed up. Not only because you saved Stitch, but because it also meant that today wasn't the final day of the tournament." said Lilo, who could barely contain her joy about how the day had ended.

"Have you forgotten," asked Kioko after taking a sip from his drink, "we told you that we would be the ones to defeat you. We weren't about to let some two-bit experiment beat you."

"Well, no matter what your reason may have been… thank you."

Kioko raised his hand and wagged a finger. "You shouldn't be thanking us. I assure you that this tournament will end with the four of us, and as soon as Stitch is back to full strength we will finally see who will be the champion."

"I understand," said Lilo as she glanced over at Stitch, "and I just want you two to know that we won't rub it in your faces when we win." grinned Lilo as she looked between Kioko and Angel.

Stitch's ears fell to his shoulders. It seemed there was no escaping the end of the tournament, no escape from being forced to leave Lilo's side. She was still as dead set as ever on making him champion, and now the only two people who they could possibly make a truce with appeared to have made up their minds as well. If they were anywhere near as stubborn as Lilo, there was no hope of changing their minds. The smiles on their faces only verified that idea.

"What's wrong with you?" blurted Angel, after noticing her fellow experiment's gloomy demeanor.

"Nothing, I'm fine." responded Stitch as he slowly rubbed his arm.

"You don't seem fine. What's the matter, you're not scared about fighting us are you?" asked Angel with a small smirk.

"Of course not," snapped Stitch as he quickly looked across the table at Angel, "I can't wait to have another shot at fighting you. I'll finally be able to stop your boasting. It's just that… I'm really going to miss this place."

A sympathetic expression washed over Angel's face as she watched Stitch rest his chin on the edge of the table. "I know what you mean, Jumba's lab will seem like a prison cell after all this tropical beauty."

"Yeah." agreed Stitch with a solemn tone.

The room fell into an awkward silence as everyone's minds bristled with thoughts about the end of the tournament. Though none of them would come right out and say it, none of them wanted the tournament to end. But, their loyalty to one another and the promises they made kept their voices silent. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Nani cleared her throat and got up from the table.

"Well since it looks like everyone is finished, Lilo why don't you help me clear the table?" the older girl asked as she picked her plate and cup.

Lilo nodded and started to get up but was stopped as Kioko motioned for her to sit back down. "Why don't you let me and Stitch clean up for you," said Kioko as he got up and walked over to Nani, taking the plates from her hands, "it's the least we can do after you girls worked so hard to prepare dinner."

"Oh uh… sure, thank you." said Nani, caught off guard by the boys offer.

Kioko just smiled, placed the dish in the sink, and turned on the water. "Now why don't you ladies go relax, we'll have this done in no time."

The three girls all nodded and headed off into the living room, leaving Kioko and Stitch to their cleaning duties. The two of them moved relatively quickly through their chore, neither saying much to one another. But after a few minutes Stitch finally broke the silence.

"Why did you have to volunteer us to do the dishes?" whined Stitch as he lazily scrubbed a pan, "This is so boring!"

"Oh stop your complaining," Kioko said as he finished drying a plate, "it's a nice gesture, and besides there's another reason why I volunteered us."

"Oh yeah, and what would that be?"

Kioko stopped drying for a second and gave a deep sigh. "I have a favor to ask you."

"A favor? What kind of favor?" asked Stitch as he cocked his head to the side curiously.

"I couldn't help but notice how you reacted to Lilo's vows to fight. You don't want this fight to happen, do you?"

Stitch lowered his head and stared into the soapy water that filled the sink. "I did at one point, but not anymore. I don't want to leave Lilo behind."

"I thought so. Well to tell you the truth… I don't want this fight to happen either."

"What," exclaimed Stitch in confusion, "at dinner though it seemed like you were eager to fight."

"That was just for show." said Kioko as he put down a plate and looked into the living room. Angel was the only one left; Lilo and Nani had gone off to tend to other tasks around the house. The pink experiment now sat quietly on the couch slowly running her paws down her long antenna. "Even though there isn't anything I wouldn't do to make her champion… I don't want to lose her."

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"Just try to talk to her. See if you can't get her to put her battle plans on hold for a little while. In return, I'll try to do the same with Lilo. That's all I ask."

"Why don't you talk with her? She's your partner after all."

Kioko smiled and looked over at Stitch. "Have you talked with Lilo about laying down her spell book for a while?"

"Yeah," sighed Stitch, "but she refused to listen. She said it was crazy that I would want to give up my dreams of becoming champion just to stay here on Earth."

"And that's exactly why I need you to talk to Angel, and why you need me to talk with Lilo. Through the course of this battle we've reaffirmed our partners with how we want this tournament to go and what we want from it. After so long it's near impossible for us to convince our partners that our minds have changed all of a sudden." explained Kioko.

"But if we can't convince our own partners, what hope do we have of convincing each others partners?"

"I'm not saying that it will work, Stitch. But please… just try. Please?"

Stitch didn't know what to do as the man looked upon him, a look of desperation in his eyes. Growing uncomfortable, Stitch scratched the back of his head and looked past Kioko at Angel, who had moved from the couch over to the window seat, and was now staring out into the night. He had trouble believing that there was anything he could say that would change Angel's mind. Likewise, he doubted that Kioko would be able to change Lilo's mind. Yet a small glimmer of hope, deep in his heart, urged him to at least take a chance. After all, if he truly wished to stay with Lilo on Earth, he would be a fool not to take every chance he got.

Finally, Stitch gave a heavy sigh and looked back up at Kioko. "Ok then, I'll give it a try."

"Thank you, Stitch. I really appreciate it." said Kioko as a large smile crossed his face.

"But, you have to promise me you'll try hard to change Lilo's mind too. I mean you're going to have to talk your heart out!" Stitch said as he wagged his finger authoritatively.

"Don't worry, I'll do my very best."

**Well that's the end of this chapter. I wasn't planning on ending it here, but the length of the conversations between the partners forced me to separate this chapter in two. Which of course has forced me to do some remodeling of the next chapter. But I don't think it'll take me too long. Please review.**


	5. Fighter's Resolve

The Tejina Chronicles: Final Days

By: Kioko the pirate

Chapter 5: Fighters Resolve

After a few minutes Kioko and Stitch had finished their chore, but were then faced with a more daunting task. Each now headed off to try and convince each other's partners that fighting wasn't necessary, and that all of them could be happy if they would only forgo their desires for battle. Both knew that, because of their partners' stubbornness, it would not be an easy task. Both knew that it might even be impossible. Despite this, Stitch managed to carry himself with a sense of confidence as he walked into the living room.

Angel was still sitting silently on the window seat, staring out into the tranquil night. In that moment, Stitch's image of her changed. For just a moment he no longer saw her as his powerful rival or an opponent, but as an experiment who was in the same boat as he. Without even needing to ask he knew that she, like him, would much rather stay on Earth with her partner. He only hoped that he would be able to convince her to try and make that desire a reality. If they finished the tournament, and went back to the lab, the chances of them ever getting to see their partners again would be slim to none. Their only hope was to prolong the tournament as long they could, and deal with whatever attempts Jumba made to bring them back as they appeared.

Stitch's focus snapped back to what needed to be done. He had to convince her that there was no need for them to finish the tournament. Hopefully, she wouldn't be as stubborn as Lilo. Without a word Stitch leapt up onto the window seat and sat down next to Angel. The pink experiment just continued to stare out the window.

"So… what are you doing in here all by yourself?" asked Stitch, unsure of how exactly to start the conversation.

"Nothing much, just looking at the stars." said Angel with a very relaxed tone and a small smile on her face.

"I see. So uh, did you like the dinner?"

"Oh definitely," Angel said as she rubbed her belly, "Nani's pork roast was a whole lot better then the stuff we've been eating this past year. I really liked that pineapple glaze she had on there."

"Yeah me too, apparently it's a family recipe she got from their grandmother."

Angel gave an understanding nod causing the conversation to immediately drop off. Stitch scratched his head as he tried to think of what to say next, he didn't want to come right out and start talking about delaying the tournament, because he didn't want her getting worked up. Angel watched with a raised brow as Stitch tried to find some way to start the conversation again. She couldn't help but chuckle at his lack of grace.

"What did you want to talk about, Stitch?" asked Angel as she turned to face him.

"What do you mean?" blurted Stitch, caught off guard by the female's question.

"Come on, I know you didn't come in here just to chit chat. Now what's on your mind?"

"Well… it's just that… Kioko asked me to talk to you."

"Talk to me about what?"

Stitch gulped and then gave a sigh. "He asked me to talk to you about the tournament."

"He did, did he?"

Stitch gave a quick nod. "He wanted me to try and talk to you into…"

"…Into holding off on the final battle for awhile, right?" said Angel, interrupting Stitch mid sentence.

Stitch's eyes widened with surprise, if she already knew what Kioko wanted; perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to get her to wait. "That's exactly it, but how'd you know?"

"How'd I know," asked Angel, sounding a bit insulted, "he's my partner for crying out loud! We've learned to read what the other is thinking and feeling. It's how we became so formidable in battle, and how I knew he was faking his enthusiasm for our battle."

Stitch's heart lit up with hope and his expression clearly showed it. "Well if you know how he feels than you must not want to fight either? I mean as close you two are you couldn't possibly want to enter into a fight that will only separate you."

Angel fell silent for a moment as her ears dropped to her shoulders and she turned to look back out the window. Stitch's hope suddenly began to shrink; he didn't like the solemn expression that adorned Angel's face. Then came the words that he had been dreading from the start.

"No, we're going to fight." The words carried with them a feeling of hostility, as if Angel was angry with herself for saying them.

"But why," exclaimed Stitch; growing frustrated by how hard it was to change the female mind, "don't you want to stay here on Earth with him?"

"Of course I do."

"Then why do you insist on fighting? It makes absolutely no sense! If not fighting is your only way of staying here then don't fight!"

"I know it doesn't make any sense, Stitch!" shouted Angel as she whipped back toward Stitch, "And believe me, if I thought abstaining from the fight would let me stay here, I would have sealed my book away somewhere where no one could ever find it, along time ago! But you and I both know that it would be pointless! Jumba would just send experiments down to get us."

"There are ways around that though. We could spare occasionally to make him think we're still fighting and as strong as we are I'm sure we could take on anyone he could send."

Angel gave a sigh and turned away once more. "You just don't get it," she laughed, "there's nothing we can do. We knew from the start that we'd have to go back to the lab eventually, it's too late to change the rules."

Stitch found himself in another bind, as much as he wanted to convince her otherwise, he knew that what she said was true. Even their best efforts to try and prolong the tournament would only do just that, prolong it. One way or another they would be forced back. But Stitch wasn't about to give up, if prolonging the fight was all he could do, then he was going to do everything he could to do it.

"So what if it's impossible for us to stay here forever? Don't you want to at least try to gain as much time as possible?" said Stitch as he reached forward and put his paw on Angel's shoulder.

Angel turned her head and looked at him with eyes filled with sorrow. "I wouldn't be able to take it," She said, her voice quivering as she held back tears, "I couldn't enjoy being here if I had to constantly worry about keeping myself here. As much as I hate it, I'd rather go back sooner than have to live with that fear."

Stitch once again found himself looking upon a part of his rival's inner self that he had only glimpsed once before back on the "World 1". It still amazed him that a strong experiment like her could have such a delicate core. Yet, even though tears slowly filled her eyes, he could see that he had failed to change her mind.

"I'm sorry, Stitch, but I can't bare the thought of staying a minute longer than I have to." Angel said with a sniffle.

Stitch's head fell in defeat, he had failed to prolong the tournament. But as he stared down at the cushion, he suddenly felt Angel move. Before he could say anything, she threw his arm over her shoulders and pressed up against him. Her eyes still wet with tears, she snuggled as close to him as possible and turned to stare back out the window. A confused expression sat on Stitch's face as he now looked down on the top of her head. But after a moment his surprise subsided and he tightened his am around her.

"I hate this tournament," she suddenly blurted as she wiped her tears away, "and every god damn thing about it."

"Me too." agreed Stitch as he looked out the window to the stars.

While Stitch tried to comfort his rival, his rival's partner was about to try his hand at changing the fate of their two groups. Beneath his confident smirk, Kioko, like Stitch, had no idea how he was going to try and change Lilo's mind. However, unlike his furry counterpart, he knew exactly how he was going to approach the subject. He was not one to dance around a subject, especially when it had to do with someone he cared about. The boy made his way upstairs and, after a short search, found Lilo putting clothes away in her room. She didn't notice him as he walked in and leaned against the doorway. He remained silent for a moment longer as he readied himself to confront of the girl. Finally, with a deep sigh he made his move.

"You know you never cease to amaze me." blurted Kioko.

The unsuspecting girl yelped and dropped the bundle of socks she had in her hand. "My god, Kioko, you scared the crap out of me!" exclaimed Lilo as she held her hand over her heart.

"Sorry." laughed Kioko.

"God, if I were an old woman, you would have probably killed me." said Lilo as she picked the socks up off the floor.

"Oh stop overreacting."

Lilo glared at the boy for a second and then returned to putting away clothes. "So, what is it about me that amazes you?"

"It's your eagerness," said Kioko as he tucked his hands in his pockets, "I've never known a girl that was always so willing or eager to go to battle as you are. Especially when the battle will inevitably lead you to lose your best friend."

"Things aren't always as they seem." The girl said with a solemn tone.

"Don't I know it," smiled Kioko, "So why continue acting this way? What's the point of feigning enthusiasm?"

"It's complicated."

"Well I like complicated, it keeps things interesting."

"Yeah, well I don't find it so 'interesting'." snapped Lilo as she turned and threw a shirt into her drawer. "I hate pretending to be excited, I mean what kind of sick freak would be excited about their best friend leaving forever?"

"Well why are you pretending," said Kioko, raising his voice to match Lilo's, "if you don't like it, do something about it!"

"Like what," replied Lilo as she turned to face the boy, her face turning red, "what am I supposed to do? Just break my promise to Stitch and not fight? I couldn't do that to him, not after all we've been through."

"And what if all Stitch wanted now was to stay here with you?" asked Kioko, lowering his voice back down to a calmer level.

Lilo gave a sigh as she turned back toward her laundry. "You talked to Stitch, didn't you?"

Kioko gave a nod. "Yeah, I did, and I want to know why you think it's crazy that he'd want to give up his dream, just so he can stay on Earth?"

"Why wouldn't I think it's crazy," asked Lilo as she began pulling bras and other unmentionables out of the laundry basket and putting them away, forcing Kioko to look away coyly, "when he came here, all he planned to do was to fight and become champion, nothing more. As far as I know that's all him and the other experiments were made for. So I know that deep down he doesn't want to stay here."

"I don't know, it seemed to me like he really does want to stay here."

"No, he's just trying to make me feel better. He doesn't want me to know that he's anxious for this tournament to end."

"It sounds to me like you're in denial." Kioko said with a sigh.

"Denial?" exclaimed Lilo once again looking over at the boy, "I am not in denial!"

"Oh come on," said Kioko as he looked back at the girl, "admit it, you're so afraid of Stitch leaving that you've come up with this absurd idea that you're powerless to do anything. Believe me, I could tell that Stitch was more than serious about staying here. So please, for yours and his sake, snap out of this ridiculous delusion and hold off on this fight!"

"I can't!" Lilo suddenly shouted, catching Kioko off guard.

The young girl seemed to stumble backwards onto the bed, where her hands immediately covered her face. Kioko could hear sobs beginning to escape the girl's lips, while her body began to tremble slightly. After several moments Lilo lowered her hands down onto her knees, exposing the small streams of tears that ran down her face.

"I can't just put my plans on hold like that!" said Lilo with a sniffle.

"Your plans?" asked Kioko as he walked into the room and sat down on the bed next to her.

"That's right, my plans," Lilo wiped her face clean of tears an then continued with a solemn voice, "my plans to make Stitch champion. You see when he asked me to be his partner I realized that I had a chance to be truly helpful to someone, and that's something I've wanted for many years. Ever since our parents died in a car accident."

"I see, I was wondering why they weren't around." said Kioko as he glanced out into the hallway.

"When we got to the hospital and saw them both laying there bloodied and unconscious, I felt so helpless. When they finally died that feeling remained. I felt responsible for their deaths, even though I know there was nothing I could have done. But, when it comes to this tournament I'm far from helpless!" said Lilo with growing conviction in her voice.

Kioko was once again taken by surprise as Lilo shot to her feet and turned to face him. "I have the strength, skill, and determination needed to make Stitch the champion! So there is nothing you can say that will keep me from fighting!"

"Doesn't the fact that Stitch wants to stay here with you change your mind at all?"

Lilo became silent for a moment as she rubbed her forehead with her hands. "I know he wants to stay here, but that's only because of me."

"Well obviously." remarked Kioko.

"But if he were to stay here, essentially, I would be responsible for him failing to become champion," Lilo turned and walked over to her desk, where the blue book sat atop a stack of magazines and ran her fingers over it's rough cover, "and I just couldn't take that. I mean, I would love to have Stitch stay here, but I wouldn't be able to look at him without thinking of the sacrifice he made just because of me. I don't want to live the rest of my life knowing that I'm responsible for killing someone's dream."

Just like Stitch, Kioko then realized that he had failed. Kioko couldn't help but feel sympathetic toward the girl's dilemma. Like him, she only wanted a second chance. For that reason, he could not bring himself to try and change her wishes.

"I understand." sighed Kioko as he got to his feet and walked toward the door.

"I'm sorry, Kioko," blurted Lilo as she looked over at the boy, "the fact that you wanted to postpone the fight, means that you wanted Angel to stay around, right?"

Kioko paused in the doorway, standing as still as a statue and just as silent. "It's fine," Kioko finally said as she looked back over his shoulder at the girl, "I understand how you feel. But know this: If you want me to fight, don't expect me to hold back. You want to make Stitch champion in order to prove to yourself that you can help someone who you truly care about, well the same goes for me."

Without another word Kioko turned and walked down the hallway. A day that had started with so much hope now left four hearts in tatters. The battle that Kioko and Stitch had feared now loomed on the horizon, twisting both their stomachs into knots. They were now out of options; their partners had their hearts set on fighting for reasons they could not surrender. Their chances of future happiness sat solely in the hands of fate, which was a less than heartening thought.

The two defeated partners met up as Kioko made his way down the stairs. They came to a stop right next to each other, keeping their eyes straight ahead. "Well… any luck?" asked Stitch, even though he could tell by the man's demeanor that that the answer was not what he wanted to hear.

"Not at all," replied Kioko with a grave tone, "what about you?"

"Nope, there wasn't anything I could've said to change her mind."

"The same goes for me."

"So now what?" asked Stitch as he put one paw on the back of his head.

Kioko was quiet for a moment, giving a deep sigh through his nose. "We have to fight, there is no other choice. Despite how we may feel, we are bound to our partners by obligation, if it is their wish to fight, we must honor that wish."

"Right… so what should I tell Lilo?"

"In three days you should be back to your full strength, at that time we will meet up at your training hill. Then we will find out just who is the strongest."

Stitch gave a sigh of his own and slowly nodded. Then, the two men went their separate ways, returning to their partners, determined to spend their last remaining days enjoying their company. Fortunately for them, fate also had a sense of mercy. Though they only had three days, time seemed to slow down. Each day felt like it went on and on, much to the pleasure of the experiments and their partners. One would never have guessed by watching them that a monumental battle laid just ahead. Lilo and Stitch spent their days running around the beach and in town, while their nights were filled by late night movies and giant bowls of popcorn.

Kioko and Angel's final nights, while a little more subdued, were just as enjoyable. They decided to treat the days as if nothing were going to change. They trained and exercised early in the day, relaxed with some cool drinks in the afternoon, and then, come nightfall, stretched out on the couch. Adding to the sense of normalcy the two even got into a few squabbles here and there. Those few days did a lot of good for all of them, they allowed them a break from the dread and sorrow that filled their minds. While they all wished it could last forever, there was no escaping their destinies.

Their final day together, the day that the tournament would end, soon arrived. The lively and upbeat atmosphere, that had dominated the previous days, vanished without a trace. It was replaced by a somber feeling that would have suffocated them all, if it hadn't been for the few fleeting moments where victory seemed to out weigh their pains. Since no specific time had been indicated by either party as to when the battle would take place, both sides took their time preparing. Both stretched and went through some last minute practices, but more importantly, they readied themselves to say goodbye.

Finally, the moment had arrived. Shortly after three o' clock Kioko, Angel, Lilo, and Stitch all stepped into the clearing. Like old, western gunslingers the two pairs took a few steps toward one another and then faced each other down. Like the calm before a storm the air was as still as stone, and just as cool. For some time all four remained quiet, all unable to find the right words to say. For nearly two years they had awaited that final day, and as it at last came upon them, it seemed as though the days had flown by.

Just then, a small chuckle broke the silence. "So this is it then," said Angel, "our final battle."

"Yep, it's hard to believe that we both made it this far." replied Stitch, finding it easier to talk with the curtain of silence lifted.

"Speak for yourself, I never doubted that I'd make it to the end."

"Now, are you guys positive that we're the last people in this tournament?" blurted Lilo as she casually looked around the field.

"We're positive." Kioko said with a small laugh.

"So why did you want to have our fight here?" asked Lilo, even though she was sure that she already knew the answer.

"Why do you think? This is the place that we had our first, and only real battle, so it seemed fitting that we have our last here as well."

"That's what I thought."

"Things are going to be a lot different from back then, this time we'll be the winners!" boasted Stitch as he pointed a clawed finger at Angel, who only tilted her head and smiled.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Stitch," said Angel as she pointed back at her blue rival, "you may have gotten stronger, but so have we."

"You can't intimidate me this time, Angel, not after the way you snuggled with me the other night! I've seen through that tough outer shell of yours and you know what I saw? A soft, pink marshmallow!"

Angel's eyes widened as her face turned a deep red. "That was a one time thing, a brief moment of weakness! Nothing more!"

"Sure it was." said Stitch with a mischievous grin.

Angel clenched her teeth and balled her fists. "Why you little…" she growled.

"Save it for the battle, you two!" Kioko shouted. "Now, there are a few things I want to make clear. Though this may be the final battle, and the title of 'champion' may be on the line, we are not enemies. This is a fight to see who is the strongest, not who can spill the most blood, so we will all refrain from using spells that could endanger each other's lives. Next, we will all refrain from attacking one another's spell caster directly. Lilo and I aren't as durable as you two experiment's are after all. Finally, we shall all be respectful, no matter who wins or loses. Do you all agree?"

"Yes." said Lilo, Stitch, and Angel in unison.

The battlefield once again fell silent. This time the breeze began to drift across the scarred landscape, causing the trees to sway like eager spectators in an arena. One could almost hear the anxiously beating hearts of the four warriors as they faced of for the last time. Just then, as another wave of air swept across the field, Stitch and Angel took a few steps away from their partners, smiles crossing both of their faces. Their ears fluttered in the wind, mimicking the motion of the trees, yet despite their peaceful manner, a powerful tension began to build between them. The triggers of battle were slowly drawn back until, finally, they exploded.

In the blink of an eye both Stitch and Angel vanished into thin air. Unseen by their human partners, the two came together at the crest of the hill and then passed by one another, as if neither knew the other existed. But just as it seemed like the two of them would not throw a single punch, both slid to a stop, turned, and then, with smiles still on their faces, brought their fists together. The sound of thunder echoed throughout the island as the two powerful experiments vanished into a cloud of dust. The final battle to become champion had begun.

**Well that's the end of this chapter! At long last the final battle of the "Tejina Chronicles" has begun. Who shall be the winner? So far I have two more chapters planned for this story and then an epilogue. Please review.**


	6. Hollow Victory

The Tejina Chronicles: Final Days

By: Kioko the pirate

Chapter 6: Hollow Victory

Chaos now reigned on the empty field where the alien tournament was drawing to a close. With their first punches it seemed that Stitch and Angel had opened Pandora's box. Not a single spell had been cast as the two continued to dart around the battlefield, throwing punches and kicks at every possible opening they saw in their opponent's defenses. Lilo and Kioko could barely keep up with their movements, one reason why no spells had been cast yet. The only clues the two humans had as to where their partners were, were the shockwaves created by the experiment's monstrous blows.

But while it was not apparent to either Kioko or Lilo who had the upper hand, it was blatantly obvious to Stitch. While he held his own against Angel's fighting technique, her speed proved to be a difficult factor to overcome. He quickly found out just how Slushy felt in their battle. The world was a far different place when one travels at the blinding speeds that Stitch and Angel used. Familiar shapes vanished into a blur of color, and the air roared as it raced past the ears. As Stitch zigzagged through this extraordinary world, the form of his opponent suddenly came into focus. Angel appeared right beside him, spun around, and sent a kick flying right at him. With a gasp, Stitch managed to cross his arms over his chest just in time to block the attack. But the impact still sent him flying across the field like a bullet. With his teeth clenched from the throbbing pain in his arms, Stitch managed to right him self and land, digging his feet into the earth before coming to a stop.

But before he could do anything, Angel appeared once again, this time directly behind him. Stitch spun around and then dodged to the side as Angel's fist shot past his head, taking a few hairs from his cheek as it went. Seeing an opportunity, Stitch balled his fist and threw it toward her gut; however, the female was too quick and caught it in her paw. Using her gymnast-like agility, Angel pulled her self up into the air using Stitch's paw and flipped up and over the blue experiment. Even in the middle of battle, Stitch couldn't help but be amazed by her skills; his jaw dropped slightly as he watched her sail overhead and land a few feet away. But as soon as she did his mind snapped back into the fight. Stitch then let out a small snarl and charged toward the female.

Stitch let loose with a hard punch, however it was ineffective as Angel ducked underneath it. Then, to Stitch's surprise, Angel wrapped one of her antenna around his arm, trapping him. With a small snarl of her own, Angel turned and drove her fingers into Stitch's gut and up underneath his ribcage, with just enough force not to brake the skin. Then, as Stitch clenched his teeth in pain, Angel used the antenna wrapped around his arm to lift him into the air and throw him. But this time, Stitch was the quick one. As Angel unwrapped her antenna from Stitch's arm, the blue experiment grabbed a hold of it and pulled her toward him. Stitch finally landed a hit as his fist smashed into his opponent's cheek. Angel was knocked to the other side of the field before she managed to turn over and land on her feet.

For the first time since the start of the fight, there was a pause. Both experiments showed their resilience, for despite their intense combat, neither was out of breathe or had a scratch on them.

"It looks like I was wrong," blurted Angel as she wiped away some spit from the corner of her mouth, knocked loose by Stitch's blow, "you have gotten better at fighting. Granted, you're still very angular, but your agility and your countering have gotten a lot better."

Stitch, who was holding his gut where Angel had struck him, smirked. "Thanks, and you obviously learned new ways to hurt people while you were away."

"Oh believe me, that blow could have been far worse."

"The same goes for mine." grinned Stitch.

Angel could only grin in response. "Hey," Kioko suddenly shouted from the sidelines, "cut the small talk, it's not what we came here for. Stitch, you said this fight would be different from the last time. Well then show us just how far you've come!"

"Sounds good to me. Lilo!" shouted Stitch as he glanced over at his partner.

"Right, let's kick it up a notch! Punchito!" said Lilo as the blue book erupted with light.

Stitch's fist instantly became engulfed in blue energy, sending a blast of air in all directions. "All right, Stitch. Come on then!" goaded Angel as the blast of air fluttered her ears.

With a yell Stitch charged Angel, while she casually raised her paw in his direction. "Now things get interesting," smiled Kioko as the black book erupted with light, "Darkoten!"

In a flash, the large black orb formed and blasted toward Stitch, sending out its own blast of air as it did. Stitch clenched his teeth and cocked his fist back as the powerful spell came upon him. Even after seeing what the spell had done to Slushy, Stitch did not hesitate as he threw his punch deep into the spell's core. In the next instant a massive explosion rocked the battlefield, tearing the ground apart like tissue paper. However, it did nothing to slow Stitch's assault. Before the cloud of dust could even begin to settle, Stitch burst from the top of the cloud and aimed straight for Angel. He pulled back his fist once again as he fell through the air toward her. Suddenly, Lilo's voice rang out: "Gigano-Punchito!"

Angel's eyes widened in surprise as she watched the energy covering Stitch's paw pour out with increased ferocity. Fortunately for her, she managed to zip away just before Stitch made contact. She reappeared several yards away and to the side of the fountain of dirt kicked up by Stitch's spell and pulled her arm back behind her, extending her claws as she did.

"Karuga-Getsu!" yelled Kioko.

The dirt settled just in time for Stitch to see Angel's claws become enshrouded in dark energy and a massive, crescent shaped blade to be flung at him. With no time to dodge, Stitch crossed his arms in front of him and took the full impact of the spell head on. The powerful spell carried him across the field and smashed him into the side of a large tree, which exploded into splinters. The spell itself bent around the tree and sent a wave of dark energy through the forest, slicing trees like a scythe through wheat. Trees began to topple over as the spell dissipated, leaving a whole section of forest covered in a cloud of wooden dust.

"Stitch," yelled Lilo as she ran toward the cloud, "I think you two over did it with that one!"

Angel just grinned. "I don't think so."

Just then, a dark figure began to emerge from the cloud, stopping Lilo in her tracks. A moment later, Stitch appeared from the cloud acting as if nothing had happened. He barely had a scratch on his forearms, despite the fact that the fur was almost entirely burnt away.

"Was that the best you can do?" criticized Stitch as he brushed the singed fur from his arms.

"Not by a long shot." replied Angel.

"Good," said Stitch as he lowered himself into a horse stance and grabbed hold of his right forearm, "Lilo, let's give them something to chew on."

"Right, Dioga-Fisten!" read Lilo as she smiled in excitement.

As before, Stitch pulled back his fist as it became surrounded in blue energy. But this time, as Stitch thrust his fist forward, the blast of energy morphed into the shape of a massive fist with spiked knuckles. The ground shook as the mighty spell rushed toward Angel, but the pink experiment did not even blink. As the spell grew near she casually raised her paw out in front of her; the spell easily dwarfed the small female, but when the spell finally made contact with her paw, it stopped dead. With one paw, Angel kept the powerful spell from moving an inch, then, with one swipe, the spell was cut in two and dissipated.

"That was sad." laughed Angel.

"That was a distraction!" shouted Stitch as he suddenly appeared behind and above Angel.

The female gave a sharp gasp as she turned around. "Kenchito!" yelled Lilo as Stitch brought his foot up, ready to deliver a powerful axe kick.

Angel quickly crossed her arms and raised them above her head as Stitch's energy emblazoned foot came down upon her. A shockwave raced across the ground as the strength of Stitch's spell pushed Angel downwards into a crater that seemed to appear from out of nowhere.

"Now who's sad? You should have seen that coming a mile away!" mocked Stitch as he continued to push his kick down onto Angel's arms.

However, Angel just grinned and unfolded her arms. Stitch gasped as she quickly stepped to the side, allowing his foot's momentum to carry him toward the ground. But before his foot made contact, Angel brought her fist up and slammed it into Stitch's gut. Stitch coughed up a spray of spit as the female used his strength to increase the impact.

"And you should have seen that coming." said Angel.

"Sh… shut up." groaned Stitch.

Suddenly, the blue experiment vanished from atop Angel's fist. Angel quickly looked up to see Stitch soaring high above, his teeth clenched together in determination. As if they were of one mind, Lilo instantly knew what her partner wanted to do.

"Balren Zashi!" she hollered as she swung the book through the air. Stitch's body began to glow as he curled up into a ball and extended the spines on his back. Angel cocked her head to the side with curiosity as her opponent began to spin faster and faster in mid air. 'This isn't good,' thought Lilo as Stitch blasted downwards toward Angel catching her off guard, 'we've managed to hold our own, but we haven't been able to land a solid hit. If we don't make some headway soon… we'll be in serious trouble.'

Angel leapt away just in time to avoid being crushed and sliced by Stitch. Landing a few feet away, she thought that she was in the clear, but just then Stitch's still spinning body shot towards her. As with most his prior attacks, she smiled and casually moved to dodge. Stitch blew by her in a swirling fury of blue fur and energy, with no apparent effect. But as she turned to follow his movements a sharp pain caught her cheek. She raised a paw and ran a finger across the spot where the pain was concentrated; withdrawing her paw she found her finger covered in blood. Her eyes widened in amazement as she turned and watched Stitch's spinning form smash into a tree and bounce right back at her.

In the same instant, across the battlefield, Kioko's eyes narrowed. 'He managed to break through her tough skin, now things _will_ get interesting.'

Angel leapt left and right as she continually dodged Stitch's high-speed attack. To her surprise, Stitch could change his course very quickly, leaving her little time to counter. Slowly, his attacks kept getting closer and closer together, effectively trapping the female experiment in place. But just as it seemed Stitch would finally get a solid hit, Angel turned to face him and then shifted to the side. As Stitch blew by her she reached up into the center of his spinning form and grabbed a hold of his arm. Stitch and Lilo gasped as she brought his spell to an abrupt halt. Then, with a yell she moved to spike him to the ground like a football player would a football after a touchdown. But just before he hit, he uncurled and landed on his feet, yanking his arm free, he then leapt backwards away from her.

However, just as his feet touched down, Angel appeared right in front of him. Coming in low, she drove her fist deep into his gut, knocking every last bit of air from his lungs. Stitch, dazed by the attack, stumbled back while Angel flipped away, catching his chin with her foot as she went. The blue experiment was knocked high into the air as Angel positioned herself for the final blow. A toothy grin stretched across her face as she aimed her paw at her helpless opponent.

'This is no good,' thought Stitch as he continued to fly higher and higher into the sky, 'at this rate I'll never win. It looks like I have no choice but to throw it into high gear. I'll show them just how far I've really come since our last battle!'

Stitch opened his eyes and looked down to see a large black orb forming in front of Angel's paw. He leaned forward and began falling back to Earth, heading straight for the female experiment.

"Gigano-Toruk!" shouted Kioko.

"You're mine, Stitch." laughed Angel.

Suddenly, with a quick twist of his body, Stitch vanished in mid air. Angel's eyes grew almost as wide as dinner plates as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. "He accelerated in mid air?" she wondered aloud. Furthering her amazement, Stitch then appeared from out of nowhere right beside her.

"Surprise!" he grinned as he grabbed onto Angel's wrist and pointed her palm at the ground.

Angel gasped as she remembered her spell, but it was too late. The two experiments were engulfed in a blast of dark energy so strong that it caused both human partners to fall. The dark energy soon gave way to a dense cloud of dust that rolled along the ground like fog. As both partners clambered back to their feet, Lilo felt the sudden urge to cast a spell. She hurriedly summoned a "Gigano-Punchito" spell and then watched as a blast of blue energy blasted away the thick dust and sent Angel flying through the air.

Yet despite taking a direct hit from Stitch's spell she managed to flip over and land on her feet. But Stitch wasn't about to let her rest; in an ironic turnaround Stitch appeared before her and threw a punch right at her gut. She managed to dodge the blow but quickly found herself weaving in and out of a fury of lightning fast punches.

'What just happened, he's faster than he was before?' Angel thought as she struggled to keep out of the way of Stitch's attacks.

Just then, as she raised an arm up to defend herself, Stitch uncurled his fist and grabbed onto her wrist. Before she could react he lifted her into the air, jumped up and then kicked her square in the chest. Angel was sent skipping across the ground before disappearing into the forest. The small experiment's body was like a wrecking ball as she smashed through tree after tree, sending splintered wood flying in all directions. Finally, she came to a stop at the base of a particularly large tree. Angel groaned, her whole body ached and she could taste a small bit of blood in her mouth. She couldn't understand where Stitch had gotten all his power all of a sudden; he couldn't possibly have been holding back that much! Could he?

Once again, she had no time to dwell on the subject, for as she sat there with her eyes closed a loud roaring sound entered her ears. She opened her eyes and found herself staring down another "Dioga-Fisten" spell. Within seconds a massive blast of blue energy engulfed the forest, incinerating trees and shaking the ground. The blast seemed too large for anyone or anything to have survived, but from out of the cloud Angel appeared. Covered in scratches and small burns, she leapt from tree limb to tree limb, trying to put as much distance between her and Stitch as possible. It was futile. As she made a leap from one tree to another, Stitch appeared beside her with a wide grin on his face. She turned to defend herself but Stitch's foot connected with her cheek before she could set up her defense.

The pink experiment rocketed out of the forest and then slammed into the ground, digging a trench back out to the middle of the field. Just as before, she groaned and then opened her eyes, once again finding Stitch bearing down on her, this time with a "Kenchito" spell. While her new injuries slowed her down, she still managed to leap away from the attack. She landed just a few feet away from Kioko, her body trembling from the strain, and her breathing heavy.

"You know, you've got to be the toughest female Jumba's ever made," chuckled Stitch as he rose up from the crater formed by his kick, "I'm amazed that you can still move that quickly when you're injured."

"I see… your power isn't… all that's… grown," said Angel between breathes, "that ego of yours… has gotten larger too."

"Hey, after all the gloating you've done you can't judge!" exclaimed Stitch, "Besides, looking at your current condition, I'd say I have the right to boast a little. I'm winning."

Angel smirked and ran her tongue around her lips, licking the blood away from the corners of her mouth and from underneath her nose. Stitch's ears fell in surprise as Angel's heavy breathing suddenly stopped and she stood up straight as if nothing had happened.

"You may have had me on the ropes, but you didn't defeat me. To be honest I'm a little upset with my self that I let it get that far, or that it took me this long to realize my mistake. The only reason why you had the upper hand is that we were fighting your fight. You were designed to be a close-quarters fighter; it shouldn't have surprised me that you were able to hold back your physical power as much as you did. I on the other hand was not meant to be a fist fighter, even if I have gotten quite good at it. I just don't have the same stamina as you." Angel elucidated while Stitch and Lilo looked on curiously.

"So what's your point?" blurted Stitch.

"My point is that if I want to win, I'll have to use more of my spells," smiled Angel as she lifted her hand up in front of her, facing her palm towards the sky, "Now let me ask you something, Stitch. Every set of spells used by an experiment is given a category, yours is hand-to-hand combat, but do you know what my spells are categorized as?"

Stitch shrugged. "I don't know… darkness?"

"Close, but not quite. Perhaps this will give you a clue."

"Kuroiaku." summoned Kioko with an unsettling tone.

A black sphere instantly materialized above Angel's paw, slowly growing larger, with sparks of purple shooting out to the ground. As with most of her spells it resembled her "Darko" spell, but a moment later the sphere exploded into bolts of dark energy and then faded away. Unsure of what was happening, Stitch took a cautious step backward. But as he did, narrow beams of purple energy suddenly erupted from the ground around him, rising up into the air before splitting apart and fusing back together, forming the outline of a box around the blue experiment. Stitch turned to run but before he could the walls of the box filled in with dark matter, sealing him inside.

Given the pact they had made at the beginning of the fight Lilo knew what ever was going on inside that box couldn't be too dangerous. But that didn't keep her from feeling a twinge of dread.

"What kind of spell is that," she exclaimed as she watched the box nervously, "Some sort of binding spell right?"

Lilo's dread grew as Angel simply looked at her, smiled, and said: "You'll see."

The young Hawaiian girl looked back toward the box, not knowing what was going on was driving her crazy. Just then, her curiosity was appeased, as the box suddenly exploded into black shards. For a moment Lilo's fears disappeared, there wasn't a single visible scratch on her partner, however her fears quickly reemerged. Stitch suddenly began to tremble violently and he soon collapsed onto all fours. Lilo couldn't restrain herself and so she ran over to her partner's side. His eyes were bulging and his breathing was heavy, he had a look of sheer terror on his face.

"What the hell did you do to him?" snapped Lilo as she glared over at Angel.

"Nothing much," said Angel casually, "that spells only effect is that it forces the victim to relive every frightening moment in their lives, while amplifying the feeling a hundred times, leaving the victim in a state of shock."

"How could you say that so carelessly? He's your friend for god sake! How could you do that to him?" yelled Lilo as she held onto Stitch's quivering shoulders.

"Believe me, that could have been a lot worse," said Kioko, "the higher leveled versions of that spell amplify those feelings of fear a thousand and even a hundred thousand times. It can be so powerful that it would kill a human like you and me. Stitch barely got a taste of that spells potential."

"I don't care, that was a cruel thing to do!"

"No…this is just… what I expected… to happen," Stitch suddenly said through heavy breaths, catching everyone off guard, "we came here… knowing this wouldn't be easy. We can't expect them… to hold back when the title… of champion is on the line."

"Stitch." Lilo said with concern as she watched her friend force himself back to his feet.

"You've already recovered from the spell, I'm very impressed." complimented Angel, though still managing to keep a condescending tone in her voice.

Stitch gave a small laugh. "It's going to take a lot more than a little… _nightmare_ to keep me down." Stitch said knowingly.

"So you picked up on it, did you?" smiled Angel as she placed a paw on her hip.

"It was pretty obvious after that spell."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Lilo as she looked between Angel and Stitch.

"Earlier, I asked him what my spells were categorized as, and he just got it right on. You see, my spells all fall under the category of 'Nightmares.'"

"Nightmares? How can such a feminine experiment have such a morbid spell type?"

"You can blame Jumba for it. I wasn't exactly one of his best-planned experiments. He had made my body before he even knew what my spell type would be. His lab notes indicate that he was thinking of giving me song based spells, but he could never figure them out. So I sat there, in that maturation chamber, for years, a half complete being starving for life. But then, one night he had a terrible nightmare, a nightmare that would soon bring me life. He looks at each experiment like an artist would a blank canvas, always trying to draw the world into his soul and back out onto the canvas. After he woke from his nightmare, he was inspired and within days he took elements of that nightmare, worked them into spells… and gave them to me. Needless to say, I am quite proud that I was born not just from technical design, but from inspiration itself." explained Angel with a reminiscent glint in her eyes.

"So that's where you get your ego," Angel just smirked, "Well enough talking, let's see more of these powers your so proud of." goaded Stitch as he moved into a fighting stance.

"Gladly." said Angel as she aimed her paw at her opponent.

"Lilo, move back!" commanded Stitch as the black book suddenly erupted with light.

The girl nodded and ran back to where she had been before. "Let's see how you handle this spell, Onihaku!" read Kioko.

The battle officially resumed as a large golden ring, inscribed with alien writing, materialized in front of Angel's paw. The center of the ring then began to fill with a bubbling black liquid that swirled around like a small whirlpool. The air seemed to grow icy cold while the fur on the back of Stitch's neck stood on end. Suddenly, the dark liquid erupted from the ring and raced towards him. The attack seemed like a normal blast of liquid, but as Stitch readied himself to move, a transformation occurred. The front end of the liquid began to morph into the shape of a serpent-like head, letting out a hissing roar as it opened up it's gaping jaws, which were lined with spiky teeth the size of Stitch himself. Along with the terrifying teeth, dozens of glowing red eyes opened up along the creature's head, adding to its horrendous appearance. Stitch barely snapped out of his amazed state in time to dodge the creature as it sank it's teeth into the earth. He landed several feet away and watched with a sense of both intrigue and fear as the creature tore a chunk of soil from the ground and crushed it in its jaws. But once again his fascination was broken as it turned and lunged toward him. Another leap to the side spared him a direct hit from the beast, however it did not bite into the ground as it had before. Like a guided missile it curved around and continued to head straight for him.

No matter where he moved Stitch could not escape the devilish creature. Despite his lightning fast speed the serpent's eyes were always locked onto him. In stark contrast to the creature's vicious movements, Angel stood perfectly still. Watching with an amused smile as her opponent struggled to keep away from her spell. At the same time Stitch was beginning to lose distance, the spell slowly catching up to him. He needed to get some distance and so, thinking quickly, he did the last thing one would expect, he stopped. Using his momentum he spun around on his heel and faced the beast. Within seconds it was bearing down on him, it's gapping maw ready to swallow him whole. But with a simple side step Stitch forced the creature to over shoot him. Then, as the creature turned to come back around he leapt high up into the air, gaining the valuable distance he needed. Lilo instantly saw her opportunity and so, as the creature launched itself skyward, she summoned a "Gigano-Fisten" spell as quickly as possible.

Stitch cocked his fist back and took aim as he stared down into the beasts pitch-black throat. Then, as the mighty serpent let out another hissing roar, Stitch flung his fist forward, sending a blast of blue energy down into its jaws. The beast swallowed the blast in a single bite, but before it could do the same to Stitch the blast detonated and blew the serpent in two. Stitch let out a relieved sigh as he watched the head of the beast dissipate into the air; surely he had defeated the spell. But as he landed he found his assumption to be wrong. The writhing remains of the beast, still attached to the golden ring, began to regenerate and within moments the deadly jaws of the serpent once again showed off their brilliant but deadly fangs.

"You didn't really think it'd be that easy, did you?" mocked Angel.

Stitch had no time for a witty retort as the beast once again lunged toward him. Using the same plan as last time, he took off running, waiting for the right time to stop and allow the spell to over shoot. A moment later he put his plan into action, and like the time before it seemed to work, but instead of turning to attack him again, the beast arched it's back and slammed it's side into Stitch. The impact sent him skipping over the ground to the other side of the field. But he did not stay down for long, he immediately began to scramble back to his feet as the oily serpent grew ever closer. This time it was Lilo who thought quickly; Stitch had no time to dodge the creature and no time to charge an attack, which left only one option. Despite it's risks, Lilo did not hesitate to summon the spell. Fortunately, through their training they had added time to the spells duration, but the after effects were the same.

"Ryo-Diorga!" shouted Lilo, catching both Angel and Kioko off guard.

The pink experiment quickly looked over to where Stitch was and then let out a startled gasp as she watched her summoned beast slam to a halt, it's long body coiling up behind it. Her eyes grew wider as she suddenly saw the reason, Stitch, his body covered in a blue aura, was holding the creature's upper and lower jaws with his bare hands. More so, he didn't seem to be straining at all, even as the creature desperately tried to over take him. A toothy grin stretched across his face as the he grabbed a hold of the creature's jaws and began to pull them apart. Angel then let out another startled gasp as Stitch tore the beast in half length wise, the tear stretching all the way back to the golden ring. A moment later, the golden ring cracked and then shattered into pieces.

"What's wrong, Angel," asked Stitch, "you look surprised? I don't see why though, after all you said it yourself, I'm a hand-to-hand fighter; my stamina is my greatest strength."

Angel's expression remained frozen for several moments before snapping back to life with an angry growl. The pink female's fists tightened till her knuckles popped while her teeth clenched together like a bear trap.

"Damn you," snarled Angel as she glared at Stitch. For the first time in a long while, a feeling of doubt began to fester deep within her. The title of champion seemed to be getting further and further away as the fight progressed. It was like fighting 6-2-7 all over again; even after using some of her highest spells she had barely made a scratch. The walls of fate were now closing in, at any moment all of her hard work… all of Kioko's hard work would be crushed. She couldn't let that happen, "Why won't you lose?" Angel screamed as she threw her paw into the air.

"Akakumiendo!" shouts Kioko, feeling his partners growing desperation.

Before Stitch could move the black, spiked wall that Angel had used to shatter Slushy's spell came crashing down upon him. The ground shook as a cloud of dust raced across the field. A hopeful smile began to grow on Angel's face as the dust slowly began to settle, but just as it seemed that the attack had done some damage the sound of cracking began to permeate through the air. A second later the demonic wall was lifted up and split right down the middle, revealing a still glowing and still unharmed Stitch. Angel's jaw dropped as the two chunks of the wall fell to the side and evaporated into black vapor.

"It's no use, Angel," said Stitch with an arrogant smirk, "You were having a hard enough time with me before, but now that we've used the 'Ryo-Diorga' spell you don't have a chance. You see it boosts my strength, speed, and spell power ten fold." both Kioko and Angel's eyes widened in shock.

"Unfortunately, I can only use it for so long before my power becomes completely drained. So I hope you don't mind it if," Stitch suddenly vanished and reappeared ahead of Kioko and Angel, running full speed straight at them, "we finish this now!"

Angel's shocked expression faded away as she once again bared her teeth and clenched her fists. Her head sunk as her whole body tensed up and began to quiver.

"Angel…" muttered Kioko as he looked concernedly down on his friend. He could almost taste her anger, fear, and pain in the air. This was no longer a friendly match as far as she was concerned.

Just then, as Stitch bore down on their position, Angel's quivering stopped and a dense aura of purple energy erupted from her. Stitch nearly stumbled as he felt her power bare down on him like a crushing weight.

"I will not lose to you!" Angel screamed as her head shot back up, tears running from her eyes. With a ferocious yell Angel raised her paw toward Stitch, while Kioko immediately summoned a spell.

"Drago-iken!" shouted Kioko as he held the black book out in Stitch's direction.

Black liquid, similar to what had made up the demonic serpents, began to gather in front of Angel's paw. The mass of liquid then morphed into the shape of a large dragon's skull, even taking on the color and texture of bone. The skull opened its toothy maw with a sickening cracking sound and started to drool a crimson liquid that smelled of blood. Stitch cringed but did not change his course. A split second later a swarm of flat, black arrows erupted from the dragons mouth in a spray of blood. The arrows cut zigzag patterns through the darkening sky, creating a wall of black death in front of Stitch. However, Stitch still didn't change his course. The blue experiment clenched his teeth and charged headlong into the barrage of arrows. Weaving in and out at high speed Stitch did his best to dodge every arrow, but a few managed to leave deep gashes on his arms, legs, and one across his left cheek.

The density of the arrows began to increase, telling him that he was nearing the source. Knowing that if he continued he would be cut to shreds Stitch began to search for a way out. A second later he finds one and leaps upward, soaring through a gap in the arrows that no human could have seen. In an instant, Stitch appeared high above the torrent of arrows and then dove back down toward Kioko and Angel. Like a bolt of lighting he streaked down to the ground and with little difficulty, smashed straight through the dragon's skull.

'And here's the finisher,' thought Lilo as the blue book erupted with light, "Gigano-Punchito!"

A toothy grin stretched across Stitch's face as he brought his fist up toward Angel, blowing away the shards of skull that still hung in the air. With his enhanced speed the attack was sure to connect and hopefully be enough to end the fight once and for all. "Gigano-Umbrugar." said Kioko with an inappropriately casual tone.

Stitch, having not heard the spell, threw his fist toward Angel's face, but before it could connect his body ground to a halt. A confused expression washed over his face as he stared at his fist, just inches from its target. His eyes then drifted over to his arm where he felt something cold holding him tight. He let out a disturbed gasp as he saw a grey, half rotted, hand gripping his wrist. A quick look revealed three more hands rising from the ground and gripping him at the ankles and at the other wrist. The next thing Stitch saw was Angel's palm coming to a rest just beyond his nose. Carefully, he looked up and caught Angel's eyes as she stared down at him. A cold chill rushed down his spine as he looked into the midnight black orbs. Just like Kioko, he quickly realized that the fight had changed.

"_We_… will finish this." said Angel her voice filled with suppressed anger.

"Gigano-Toruk."

Stitch let out one last gasp before he was engulfed in a wave of dark energy that nearly engulfed the entire field. Lilo was knocked off her feet by the blast of air created by the attack and fell to the ground holding her arm over her face.

"Stitch!" screamed Lilo as she watched the massive spell rush by.

Fortunately, Lilo had little need to worry, for as the spell dissipated into a massive cloud of dirt Stitch reappeared. Amazingly, his feet remained on the ground as he slid out from the cloud, his arms crossed over his face in defense. The blue experiment came to a stop and lowered his arms. The blast had only given him a few minor cuts on the forehead and nose, a miracle, even with the protection of the "Ryo-Diorga." But Stitch had no time to count his blessings, because just as he caught his first breathe Angel appeared before him and caught him with a powerful right hook. Stitch stumbled away, but was not phased by the blow. However, he was unable to regain his balance as Angel continued to deliver blow after blow, her tears flying into the air like shimmering jewels. The pounding continued for a few moments until Angel uncurled her fists and grabbed Stitch by the wrist.

She tossed Stitch over her shoulder like a child would a doll, turned and then with one loud yell jumped and drove her foot into his gut. The impact sent a shockwave tearing through the air and sent Stitch bouncing along the ground back toward Lilo. Without considering that Angel's attack may not be done the young girl ran over to her partners side.

"Are you alright," asked Lilo as she helped Stitch sit up, "That was a pretty merciless beating."

"I'm fine, I barely felt a thing. God, I love this spell." said Stitch as he looked down at his glowing paws.

"But your cheeks are covered in blood, you must have a cut somewhere."

Stitch's expression dropped away as he looked past Lilo. "That's not my blood." he said flatly.

Lilo looked back toward Angel and saw the pink experiment half bent over as she tried to catch her breath. The fur and skin were all but gone from her knuckles, leaving blood to run down to her fingertips and fall to the ground.

"Angel, you idiot," laughed Kioko as he struggled to hold back his own tears, "you're going to hurt yourself more than you will them."

Both Lilo and Stitch stood back up and faced the seemingly frozen experiment. Neither knew what to do, were they supposed to attack or wait for her to make the next move? They didn't have to wait long for their answer.

"I'm sorry," the pink experiment suddenly blurted in a voice almost too quiet to hear, "I'm sorry it had to come to this. But you understand… you understand why I must do this."

Angel looked up to face Lilo and Stitch, her face wet with new tears and a look of painful remorse. "I will not lose! Not after making it so far, not after all we've been through! Stitch, Lilo… you've been good rivals… and good friends, but none of that matters anymore. I will crush you just like any other opponent! I can't go back a loser and I won't leave Kioko a loser! So please, disappear." said Angel as she raised her paw toward Kioko and held up two fingers, a signal.

Kioko hesitated, his mind temporarily torn between victory and the well being of his opponents. But as he looked at his partner's shredded knuckles and the tortured expression on her face the choice became obvious. His loyalty to his partner outweighed any harm that may come to Lilo or Stitch.

"Gyouren-Boura." said Kioko, his brow furrowed as if the words hurt to be spoken.

Lilo and Stitch both readied themselves for whatever may come, but both had to take a startled step back as a massive fountain of dark energy erupted from behind Angel. The dark energy spread out quickly in all directions, swallowing the world like a virus. The smell of the ocean, the feeling of the tropical breeze, and the red glow of the sun all vanished behind the veil of darkness. Before they could comprehend what was happening, the darkness closed in around them, severing every tie they had to the outside world. But they were not alone; they were welcomed to this dark world by a hellish shrieking sound that seemed to come from every direction at once. Both Lilo and Stitch's jaws dropped in terror as inhuman eyes began to open all around them. Hundreds, thousands, countless eyes stared at them with empty gazes from all directions.

"What… what is this?" stammered Stitch as he frantically looked around.

"This is my second strongest spell," came Angel's voice. Lilo and Stitch both looked ahead to see the pink experiment standing amongst the eyes with her arms folded across her chest, "It is only one step down from the spell that destroyed the 'World 1'. There is no escape, for as far as anyone is concerned we are in an entirely different dimension. Likewise, you have no hope of defending against it."

"Angel, this is crazy," yelled Lilo as sweat began to run down her face, "we promised one another that we wouldn't use dangerous spells like this! We…"

"I'm sorry." interrupted Angel, her voice once again resonating with remorse.

Before either of them could say anything else the pink experiment faded away into the darkness, another monstrous eye opening in her place. All at once, the pupils of the eyes began to dilate as rainbow colored energy began to gather in front of them. In the next instant the pupils contracted sending blasts of energy straight toward Lilo and Stitch. Before their very eyes a blinding, multi-colored light replaced the darkness. At that moment, Angel reappeared back on the battlefield, stepping out of a massive black dome that covered the spot where Lilo and Stitch had been standing. As she casually walked away, the dome began to crack, rainbow colored light spilling out into the amber skies above. Suddenly, the dome exploded in a brilliant geyser of rainbow energy, sending out a shockwave that toppled trees, threw boulders, and buried the field in a dense cloud of dust. As the mighty winds died down, Kioko stepped out from behind a "Darkoshield" spell, erected at the moment of the explosion.

'It's done.' thought Kioko as the dust began to settle.

After a moment the dust settled enough for Kioko to see Angel, standing with her back to a massive crater. The girl's head hung low, her ears draped over her shoulders; hers was not the expression of a winner but of a mourner.

"What have I done," said Angel as she looked down at her shaking paws, "how could I let myself get so carried away? Damn it, this isn't how I wanted to win! Damn it!" she yelled as she clenched her fists.

Just then, a powerful sensation swept over her, like a cold rush of water. The female experiment turned slightly and looked back over her shoulder into the crater. Dust still lingered in the air, but a speck of light soon caught her attention. Her eyes grew wide as the dust slowly revealed glowing blue dome emblazoned with a golden frame. Angel nearly stumbled backwards as Lilo and Stitch came into view. They were standing underneath a double-layered dome, breathing heavily and with blood running down their faces and bodies. The domes were almost completely destroyed, with large chunks missing and more still falling off. The domes finally shattered and faded away, leaving Lilo and Stitch to collapse to their knees, the "Ryo-Diorga" spell had worn off.

"They… survived?" exclaimed Angel, utterly stupefied.

"What?" blurted Kioko with equal amazement.

"Did you really… think we wouldn't… fight back?" said Lilo as she looked up at Angel with an angry glare. "You two aren't the only ones… who have suffered. We've been through it all as well. We've put our blood, sweat, and tears into becoming stronger, into winning this tournament. But we're not willing to endanger the lives of our opponents to do it… that's the difference between us. However," Lilo suddenly began to push her self up, her body trembling so bad that she could barely keep her balance, "if you think that means we won't do everything we can… you're wrong."

The battered girl got to her feet and grabbed the blue book off the ground. "I promised that I'd make Stitch champion," her grip tightened on the book, "and I'm going to keep that promise, no matter what!"

The blue book suddenly exploded in a maelstrom of blue energy, completely engulfing Lilo and Stitch. Angel raised her arm in front of her face as a wall of dirt was thrown from the crater. Through the debris Angel saw Stitch rise up, his wounds fading away along with Lilo's.

"It can't be…!" exclaimed Angel.

"…Their final spell!" finished Kioko as he watched the energy spiral up from the crater.

The blue book pulsed with energy as it flung open in Lilo's hand, doubling the energy swirling around them. The pages began to flip over by themselves, every line of text coming alive with a magnificent light. Finally, the last page turned and the hidden spell materialized. Lilo brought the book in front of her and locked her gaze onto Angel.

"The final spell," Angel gasped and immediately flashed back over to Kioko, "Kyon Dirooda!"

Stitch's face emptied of emotion as the raging blue energy encircled him. The energy grew denser and denser until Stitch was no longer visible. Lilo had to cover her face and look away as the orb grew brighter; it's blue color turning a pure white. The ground rumbled under foot as the orb then started to grow larger. It quickly began to take up the entire crater, forcing Lilo to scramble up the bank. She managed to pull herself out and run a few yards before the orb suddenly exploded, knocking her to the ground. The young girl rolled over and looked into the pillar of dust that once again rose from the crater, while Kioko and Angel looked on anxiously. For a few moments there was total silence, the only thing Lilo could hear was the soft pitter-patter of small rocks returning to earth. But then, the sound of footsteps reached her ears and through the dust she could see movement.

An excited smile crossed Lilo's face as the figure climbed up from the crater, but her smile vanished in an instant as the figure stepped out of the dust and into the waning twilight. Before her stood a being vastly different from her dear friend. The being had a humanoid form and was covered in a blue and silver armor that contoured to it's muscular physique. Three curved spines extended from either side of its back and a blank, metal mask covered the face. The only signs that this strange being was, in fact, Stitch was it's furry, blue hands and its long ears.

"So that's Stitch's final spell?" remarked Kioko.

"The power he's giving off… is incredible." added Angel as her brow twitched with anxiety.

Lilo could hardly believe the transformation that Stitch had undertaken. She felt like she was looking at a stranger, the familiar connection their hearts shared had all but vanished. There was nothing left but an empty report, like that between a general and a nameless soldier on the battlefield.

"Stitch…" she said as she stared up at the statuesque being.

But suddenly, before she could say another word, Stitch disappeared shattering the ground where he once stood. Both Kioko and Angel gasped as he instantly reappeared directly behind them. Without a sound he pulled back his fist and took aim… at Kioko. The boy's eyes grew wide as he looked over his shoulder at the powered up experiment.

'He's… attacking me directly?' thought Kioko as a wave of panic swept over his face.

With a loud crack Stitch drove his fist into Kioko's cheek, sending blood spurting into the air as he was lifted off the ground and sent flying. Horror filled Angel's eyes as she watched her partner soar through the air and then crash lifelessly to the ground several yards away.

"Kioko!" she screamed just before Stitch's foot caught her under the chin and sent her rocketing into the forest, smashing through trees like pieces of Styrofoam.

A nightmare, that's what it felt like to Lilo as she watched Stitch dispatch Kioko and Angel as if they were nothing. Her heart felt as though it had been ripped open as dread filled every part of her body. Her mouth opened to speak but now words could escape the weight the seemed to have fallen on her shoulders. What had she done? What horrible power had she awakened? Like an automaton whose only function was to destroy, Stitch turned silently and began to walk toward Kioko's unmoving body. The experiment's shadow fell over the boy like a dark shroud as he came to a stop next to him. However, instead of going after the black book, which lay on the ground just beyond Kioko's fingers, Stitch raised his foot above Kioko's head.

A muffled scream was all that could escape Lilo's lips as she watched Stitch's foot come down. But just before the fatal blow could be delivered, Angel appeared and blocked Stitch's foot with her arms crossed above her head. An animalistic growl rumbled up from deep within the pink experiment as she strained to keep Stitch at bay. Every muscle in her body quivered as desperately fought against his impossible strength. Finally, as her knees began to buckle, Angel let out a mighty roar and repelled Stitch's foot. As Stitch stumbled back, Angel leapt up and drove her fist straight into the center of Stitch's mask. To her dismay, the punch had little effect and in a flash Stitch drove his fist straight into her cheek. The small pink experiment plowed through the ground head first, digging a deep trench that extended almost to the tree line. At the last moment she managed to flip up and land on her feet, sliding a few more yards before finally coming to a rest. But she did not stay still for long; the moment she stopped she blasted back toward Stitch, fist raised and ready for another try.

Sadly, her punches once again proved to be useless as Stitch took the blows head on without flinching. 'What happened? Why is he acting this way,' thought Lilo as she watched Angel throw punch after punch, trying in vain to do damage, 'What did that spell do to him? He's acting like some mindless drone.'

Angel raised her leg up and dropped it down toward Stitch's head. But before it could connect, Stitch reached up and caught her foot. Angel winced as his crushing grip tightened around her ankle. Stitch cocked back his fist and threw it toward Angel's gut; fortunately she managed to cross her arms in time to block the blow. Unfortunately, the blow shattered her arms, filling the warm air with a disgusting snapping sound. Angel screamed out in pain as she was sent flying into the air.

'Why is this happening? God, why is this happening,' tears now flowed down Lilo's dirty cheeks as she tightened her grip on the blue book, 'I didn't want this; I didn't want to hurt them like this! I only wanted to show them how strong we've gotten!'

Stitch suddenly appeared behind Angel as she continued to soar upwards. He raised his fist like a hammer and pounded it down onto her as she came within arms distance. Like a bullet, Angel shot downwards and smashed into the earth, leaving a wake of shockwaves in the air. The female experiment was left lying face down in the bottom of a small crater, barely hanging onto consciousness.

'Can't he see what he's doing? Is he even still conscious behind that mask? No, he mustn't be, he wouldn't even treat his most hated enemies this way. It must just be the influence of the spell, that's the only reasonable answer… but then… how do I stop him?'

Stitch landed gracefully next to Angel and then without hesitation drove his heel into her back. Angel let out another anguished scream as her ribcage was slowed crushed. She began to cough up blood as Stitch's foot pushed deeper and deeper into her body. Just then, she was granted relief as Stitch withdrew his foot, but it was only for a moment as Stitch then bent down and grabbed her antenna. Like some gruesome trophy Stitch lifted her up and held her over his head for a moment before tossing her toward Kioko like a piece of rubbish. Angel landed on her shoulder and rolled a short distance before landing face up within arms reach of Kioko.

'I have to stop him, I can't let this continue!' Lilo clenched her teeth and moved to stand up, but her body refused to budge, as if some invisible rope were holding her down. 'Move, move damn it! Come on, body, move!' Lilo screamed in her head as she watched Stitch slowly make his way toward Angel and Kioko.

'Say something then, anything, just make him stop!'

Stitch came to a stop next to Angel and then, silhouetted by the setting sun, he brought his foot down on her right arm. This time tears accompanied her terrible screams as she felt the sharp shards of bone jab into her muscles. The air of a warrior was gone from her; she had become little more than a child… praying for an end to her suffering.

'Please, say something to make him stop! I can't stand to watch this anymore, let me say something, damn it!'

For a second it seemed Lilo's prayers were answered as Stitch removed his foot. But no sooner had he done so then he knelt down and wrapped on hand around Angel neck while his other was pulled back in a fist. No longer able to scream, Angel rolled her head over and looked onto Kioko's face. Tears and blood rolled down her cheeks as she stared at him, a coy smirk creeping across her lips.

"I'm sorry," she managed to whisper, "I let you done. I just… wasn't strong enough."

Time went into slow motion as Stitch's fist flew down toward its target. Fate now seemed unchangeable… inevitable… inescapable. Angel closed her eyes and waited for the end.

'Just make him stop,'

"Stitch!" screamed Lilo with all of her might, her voice echoing throughout the devastated battlefield.

It was like a switch had been thrown, Stitch's fist stopped just short of Angel's cheek and then withdrew. Leaving her with her eyes still closed in anticipation. Then, like a trained dog, Stitch vanished and instantly reappeared next to Lilo, standing perfectly still like nothing had happened. A huge wave of relief washed over Lilo, bringing with it a joyous smile and joyful tears. Though the connection was still not there, she felt as though she had regained some control. At the other end of the field, the realization that she was still alive finally settled upon Angel. Her eyes opened and her head rolled back over to face the sky. The clouds above seemed almost like some great artist had painted them in place. Their red and orange hues were accented by a sprinkling of pink while the sky beyond faded into a calm violet.

"Damn it," squeaked Angel as she stared up into the painted sky, "she should have let him end it."

"That's… no way to talk."

Angel's eyes snapped open and her head rolled over. The first thing she saw was Kioko smiling back at her, his eyes barely open, but open all the same.

"You look like hell." teased Kioko, his eye slowly regaining their life.

"Shut up." Angel smiled back.

Just then, Kioko started to pull his arms in close followed by his legs. His face contorted with pain and for a moment it looked as though his body would give out, but through some inexplicable strength he managed to push himself up to his knees. His movements caught Lilo's attention and so she watched in awe, along with Angel, as the boy picked up the black book and got to his feet.

"There's… only one thing in this world that I absolutely despise," said Kioko as he looked down field at Lilo and Stitch, "and that's hearing the person I care about the most screaming in agony."

"I didn't mean for Stitch to do that, Kioko," shouted Lilo, "I had no idea that the spell would make him act that way!"

"Whether you meant to or not doesn't make a difference. The fact remains that you cast the spell that caused Angel so much pain. No matter what the history between us is, that labels you an enemy. I will not let her pain go unpunished."

Kioko then threw open the black book and flipped to the very last page. The black book then exploded into a storm of purple energy that swirled around Kioko and Angel like a mad inferno. Like Lilo and Stitch, their wounds immediately began to heal. Angel let out a relieved sigh as she felt her pain vanish and her bones reform. A moment later she was back on her feet and facing down the experiment that had nearly ended her life.

"You're final spell is very powerful and easily out classes us. However, we have our own final spell to even the odds! Ion-Basha-Gigarei!"

Lilo looked on with morbid fascination as the swirling mass of purple energy condensed into a sphere above Angel raised paw and then shot high into the air. The colorful clouds were blown away by in a dazzling blast of energy. Then, the familiar sound of cracking reached their ears as the sky split open and revealed the otherworldly eye that had spelled doom for 6-2-7. Though she had seen it from afar, Lilo found it a vastly different experience as the eye fell upon her; it's evil gaze forcing the hair on her neck to stand on end.

" If you're not too afraid that you'll lose control or if you wish to survive… I suggest you prepare a spell." instructed Kioko as multi-colored energy began to spiral into the eyes dilating pupil.

A solemn expression over came Lilo as she looked over at Stitch, who remained stone still. The moment of truth had at last arrived, whether or not they would be victorious or fail now hung on one last attack. In a flash their time together passed before her eyes. The confusion of their first meeting, the thrill of their first victory in battle, and now the bitter sweet taste of their final moments, all the feelings came rushing back like some strange slideshow. In that instant she realized that their connection was still there. Despite his appearance and his actions he was still Stitch. Lilo's sorrowful expression shattered, awakening the desire to win deep within her heart.

With a confident smile Lilo opened the blue book and read aloud. "Dioga Punchito!"

Stitch's entire right arm suddenly erupted with a golden energy that flowed like heavenly silk. It's power disintegrating the ground beneath his feet until Stitch was left levitating over a large crater. Finally, there was nothing left to do… but attack!

"This ends now!" cried Lilo and Kioko in unison.

A split second later the eye's pupil contracted, sending the massive blast of rainbow colored energy screaming straight toward Lilo and Stitch. In the same instant Stitch took off, charging the grand spell headfirst, with his heavenly fist cocked and ready. In the blink of an eye the world was consumed by a brilliant white light that swallowed all of creation. All the events that had transpired until that moment were forever cemented into the pages of history. The struggle for power was, for the time being, over. Thus, the battlefield fell into total silence, a thick cloud of dust blanketing the charred remains of a once lush green forest. No life, it seemed, could exist within the rolling brown clouds of earth. But as the clouds began to sink back down a spark of life could be seen moving slowly and awkwardly through the haze. A boy with long, black hair and tattered clothes gruelingly pushed himself up to his hands and knees, his heavy breathing shaking his body. After a moment, the breath returned to his lungs and he sat up on his knees.

As he looked around, staring dazed into the settling dust, a realization hit him like a sledgehammer to the skull. The black book was not in his hand and Angel was nowhere to be seen. His aching body was the last thing on his mind as he scrambled to his feet and started looking around. He called out her name, but there was no answer, his heart began to beat a mile a minute. A cold sweat ran down his face as an overpowering feeling of dread over ran his mind. Just then, a glimmer of light caught his eye. Without a thought he turned and ran toward the light, not sure what exactly he was running toward. With each step the object ahead of him became clearer, it's light piercing the dust like a beacon. Though he didn't know why, his hope began to grow; perhaps Angel was standing unharmed with book in paw just beyond the light. Perhaps, they had won. Perhaps he had absolutely nothing to fear.

But those were just empty dreams. If he would have been run through with a sword it wouldn't have hurt as much as when he saw it; the black book laying on the ground, a quarter of it covered in purple flames. Kioko fell to his knees, every once of strength gone from his body, burnt away in the flames. His mouth hung open and his eyes remained fixed as he watched his happiness, his companionship, and his last chance turn to ash before his eyes.

The sound of soft footsteps suddenly snapped him from his stupor. Immediately, he began to look around, feverishly trying to find the source of the sound. When, from out of the dust, stepped Angel, her body dissolving away into specks of light as the crimson rays of sunset silhouetted her with a heavenly glow. Her dreams of victory had been shattered, yet she wore a serene smile on her face and her eyes held a look of solemn tranquility. Relief, joy, sorrow, and remorse mixed together in a flurry of emotions, leaving Kioko virtually speechless.

"Angel…" he managed to speak as tears began to run from his eyes.

Angel looked away coyly for a moment as she rubbed her arm. "I… I guess this… is goodbye, Kioko," she looked back up at him, "I've… had a really good time."

"No," exclaimed Kioko as he shook his in disbelief, "you can't leave. You can't!"

Tears started to well up in Angel's eyes, making them glisten like jewels. "I have to, I don't have a choice."

"Yes you do! Yes you do! All we have to do is put out the fire… then everything will be fine."

Kioko quickly reached toward the half burnt book, but before he could lay a finger on it, Angel rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't be an idiot," she said as her voice cracked, "Now see… what you went and made me do? Now I'm crying."

In an instant Kioko pulled back his arm and wrapped his arms around her vanishing body. Their shoulders quickly became wet with tears as they held each other tighter than ever before. Each desperately trying to memorize the other's smell and the warmth of their body.

"I'm so sorry that I failed you, Angel." said Kioko with his nose buried in her neck.

Angel gave a small laugh and pulled away. "Now what makes you think you failed me?"

Kioko moved to speak but a fresh batch of tears forced his head to drop. "Is it because I didn't win? If that's the case then get over it."

"What?" blurted Kioko a deep look of confusion on his face.

"You shouldn't beat yourself up over this stupid tournament. Sure I didn't win like I had hoped, but I found someone who truly cares about me… someone who loves me… and I'd take that over some championship any day."

Unable to find any words, Kioko reached forward and pulled Angel close, one last time. "I love you, Kioko." cried Angel as she buried her nose into his strong chest.

"I love you too, Angel." cried Kioko as he rubbed his cheek on the top of her soft head.

With those final words, the last piece of the black book turned to ash and Angel vanished into the twilight. For a moment, Kioko remained frozen, still embracing the air where Angel had been. With his body rocked by sobs Kioko's arms closed in on themselves and he hunched over on his knees and wept, his tears soaking the dirt beneath him.

On the far side of the field Lilo awoke to the feeling of a warm breeze sweeping over her face. Her eyes slowly opened, their vision blurred from the shock of the blast. But after a moment the world came back into focus and she found herself looking up at Stitch's smiling face.

"Hey there, sleepy head." laughed Stitch in a poor attempt to hide his sorrow.

"Hey, you're you again," smiled Lilo. But just then she noticed something odd, Stitch was surrounded by a light blue aura and tiny specks of light were drifting up from his body, "But why are you glowing like that?"

Stitch's smile began to quiver and a single tear rolled down from the corner of his eye. "It's because we won, Lilo. We won the tournament, the whole thing. And it's all thanks to you."

A dazed look remained in Lilo's eyes for a moment as Stitch's words worked through her confusion, but just then the message hit her. Her eyes snapped open and she quickly rolled over and got up to her knees.

"We really won?" asked Lilo excitedly. Stitch just gave a nod and was immediately pounced on by the young girl, "My god, I can't believe it, we actually did it! Oh I'm so happy I could burst!" cheered Lilo as she hugged her blue friend tight.

But as she held him, a glance over his shoulder showed her the blue book lying on the ground several feet away. There were no flames and yet the book was slowly disappearing into a cloud of sparkling light. Lilo's excited grin dropped from her face as reality set in. She let go of Stitch and sat back, keeping her hands on his fading shoulders.

"But this means…" started Lilo.

"That I don't have much time left." finished Stitch as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

Lilo's arms fell from Stitch's shoulders and her head dropped to her chest. The excitement she had felt just moments before was erased by those words.

"Hey, hey, hey," blurted Stitch as he placed his paw under her chin and raised her head up, "there's no need to look so sad. You just did a great thing, something no other human could ever make the claim to."

"I don't care," Lilo snapped, "I don't care if we won or not! That's not enough to justify me losing my best friend. I thought that if we won… it wouldn't hurt as much. But I was wrong, I don't want you to go, Stitch. I'll miss you too much." said Lilo as tears began to pour down her face.

Stitch tried his best to hold back his own tears, but seeing them pour down his partners face was too much and so his cheeks quickly became wet. "I don't want to go either," he cried, "I want to stay here with you. But there's nothing we can do, my book's already more than halfway gone. So please, stop crying, I don't want to leave you like this."

Lilo swallowed hard, trying to regain her composure. After a few seconds she managed to keep her sobs at bay long enough to speak.

"Just… promise me one thing," she said, her voice cracking, "don't ever forget about me, ok?"

Through his own sobs Stitch managed to give a small laugh. "Like I could ever forget you. You just make sure never to forget me, ok?"

"I couldn't forget you even if I tried," said Lilo as she found the strength to smile, "Never in a million years."

The two once again came together in a tight embrace, Stitch's body now almost entirely gone. Like Kioko and Angel they took they're very last moments savoring how the other felt in their arms. Before long Stitch's book vanished, leaving Lilo sitting on her knees, staring up into the red and violet heavens above, with one last tear sparkling in her eye.

**There it is, the end of the final battle in the "Tejina" series! I'm so so so sorry that it took me forever to finish. I really hope you like it and thank you for taking the time to read this monster of a chapter.**


	7. Pleas

The Tejina Chronicles: Final Days

By: Kioko the pirate

Chapter 7: Pleas

Like a fading dream, the feeling of his strong, warm embrace left her. The smell of tropical flowers and the salty ocean air was replaced by a humid, musty smell so overpowering that she had to hold her paw over her nose. But, despite her best efforts, the foul smell found its way into her nostrils, becoming stronger with each passing second. Soon the feeling of ice cold metal beneath her feet joined the horrendous smell in a growing picture of the world that lay ahead of her. Through the darkness she could begin to hear faint, repetitive beeping sounds, and the maddening hum of machinery that seemed to serve no other purpose but to welcome her home with pitiless laughter.

Then, the accursed world began to come into view. It was a sensation akin to when the blood rushes from one's head and vision shrinks down to a tiny, fuzzy dot in a dark tunnel. Slowly, the fuzzy dot grew larger and became clearer until finally the world she had come to loathe fell into focus. Her reflection stared back at her from the other side of the cramped glass tube, a mess of anger and sadness smeared across her face. She sat in the middle of a poorly lit room with black, metal walls and all the comfort of a dungeon. Flickering, yellow lights shining from the bottom edges of the room were the only source of light, adding to the room's bleak atmosphere. Machines randomly sat along the walls, their true purpose a total mystery.

Finally, across from the glass tube, beyond her reflection was a set of elevator style sliding doors, gnarled and rusted from years of neglect. On the other side was the reality that she never wanted to return to. A truly meaningless existence, at least… that's what it felt like after having been in the arms of paradise. Before she could step toward the door, the glass tube filled with a fine pink mist, a disinfectant, which stung her eyes and nose and did not help to mask the malodorous stench that hung in the air. A moment later the glass tube rose up into the ceiling, allowing the pink mist to flow down like fog across the floor. Then, for the first time in almost two years, Angel set foot back into Jumba's lab.

She hesitated for a moment, taking in all the familiar feelings that had accompanied her so many times before. It was the fifth time that she had stepped down from that glass tube and stared at the empty black walls; the fifth time that she had returned a failure; the fifth time that she had left a partner behind. But this time it was different, this time her heart ached not from the loss of the tournament, but from the fact that the person she cared about the most now seemed a distant memory. She would give anything to be back in his arms, to be back where she belonged. Reluctantly she made her way over to the doors, though meant to open automatically the aged doors did not move. In a momentary burst of frustration, Angel slipped her finger in between the two doors and forced them open, bending them in half as she did.

The corridor on the other side of the doors was just as appealing as the room. Pipes and bundles of wires of varying sizes, stretching on to the left and right, lined bare, jagged rock walls. Steam rose up from the grated walkway, saturating the walls with a glistening layer of condensation that dripped down from the ceiling in a depressing melody. With an aggravated snort, Angel turned to the left and began making her way down the dark corridor. She had hated Jumba's lab ever since she was created. Every little detail about it pinched at her nerves, especially after returning from a tournament. The lab was built in the core of an asteroid and so there were no windows for her to look out of. This also limited the size of the lab, which when filled with over six hundred experiments, made for cramped living conditions. She hated the smell too; alone experiments didn't have a particularly bad smell, but when locked in a sealed lab for any length of time the smell became akin to wet dog with a hint of skunk.

The only place in the whole lab that had comforts anywhere near as nice as the ones on Earth were in Jumba's personal quarters, where only the most privileged experiments were allowed to go. The more she thought about what she had come back to, the more Angel wanted to tear her way out. To break through the walls around her and get back to the life that she longed for. Yet, at the same time, she felt trapped by the protocols that had governed her life for so many years. They were like an invisible leash, guiding her every step. As much as she wanted to believe otherwise, she wasn't sure if she could break that leash or if Jumba would even let her try. It felt like her heart was on a roller coaster, rising and falling with each passing thought, twisting them selves into a sickening knot.

The feeling was so intense that she had to stop and lean against the wall for a moment. Already she could hear the sounds of the other experiments resonating from far down the corridor. Their droning voices marked the true end of the tournament. After some time, Angel forced her way through the knot in her stomach and continued down the corridor. A light became visible in the distance and the droning of voices grew into repetitive, ecstatic cheers. In the back of her mind she hoped that it was for her, that maybe by some fluke she had actually won. But that was nothing but a pipe dream. She finally reached the end of the corridor, took a deep breath, and stepped out into a massive, circular room. The walls transformed from rough, black rock to smooth, white, marble-like stone. Six monstrous pillars lined the walls, rising up into a towering dome, topped with a large circular light, designed to simulate sunlight. Between each of the pillars were multiple levels of balconies, all filled to capacity with experiments. But none of them noticed her; their eyes were locked onto a stage that sat on the other side of the room.

At the back of the stage she could see an empty glass tube just like the one she had arrived in. But unlike hers, it was highlighted by several lights encircling the tube. It was where Stitch would receive his grand welcome. To the front of the stage stood none other then the man who had given her life and who had essentially damned her to an empty existence, Jumba Jookiba. He was a large, round man with no neck and four eyes on his head. He was dressed in what he considered "dress attire", which consisted of his typical black pants, a blue undershirt, and a white lab coat with gold trim. To either side of him were his bodyguards, two experiments whose powers were unmatched. Standing to Jumba's left was an experiment named, Amar. He had a body similar to Stitch's but was slightly less bulky and his head was similar in shape and appearance to that of a bull terrier's. His fur was white with black streaks that crossed his back, while around his neck he wore a light purple scarf with three golden rings hanging off one end. He stood next to Jumba with his arms folded over his chest and his eyes closed in an almost meditative manner.

Amar was Jumba's most powerful experiment. He had won the tournament four times and had never gotten a scratch. His mere presence struck fear in the hearts of the other experiments. One reason why he acted as Jumba's enforcer. Amar was also Jumba's most loyal experiment; he saw the scientist not only as his creator, but also as a living god. Amar followed his orders exactly and without hesitation. Many experiments believed that Amar saw every other experiment as worthless trash.

To Jumba's right was a black, two tailed panther with purple markings around its eyes, her name was Pandora. She was Jumba's second most powerful experiment, and was a two time champion of the tournament. However, unlike Amar, Pandora did not hesitate to criticize her creator. As a matter of fact, she was the only experiment who was not afraid to stand up to Amar. This made her a close friend of many other experiments. Angel herself had received some comforting words from her after she had lost the last tournament. While Amar looked down on other experiments, Pandora treated them all like she was their big sister.

Suddenly, tiny, multicolored particles began to fill the empty tube, immediately catching everyone's eyes. "He's here!" exclaimed Jumba with a broad smile.

"About time." said Pandora as she calmly licked her paw.

"This is it everyone, so please to be quieting down now," yelled Jumba as he looked up into the balconies, "it's been a long tournament so we must give our victor the warmest of welcomings. Make it extra special too, it is being his first ever victory!"

The particles began to condense, their many colors blending into a solid white shape. Slowly, the amorphous white light took form and a moment later Stitch appeared in the tube, a solemn expression on his face.

"My dear experiments, may I be introducing our newest champion, Stitch!"

As the pink disinfectant filled the tube the entire room erupted with cheers and hollers. Angel was sure she even heard a handful of "boos" in the mix. The cheering continued as the tube lifted up and Stitch stepped down onto the stage. Yet the praise did nothing to change the saddened look on his face. Even from so far away Angel could easily see that Stitch was feeling the same as she. While his body stood on stage, his mind, and his heart remained back on Earth.

"My dear Stitch, I am being very proud of you," said Jumba as he clapped his hands together as quickly as possible, "you exceeded all of my expectations!"

"Very impressive, Stitch." smiled Pandora as her two tails waved in the air.

Amar remained completely still. "Well don't just stand there, come give evil genius big hug!"

Finally, snapping out of his somber trance Stitch walked over and was quickly scooped up in the large aliens arms. The little blue experiment's eyes bulged as he was crushed in Jumba's excited embrace. After a moment, Stitch was lifted up into the air for all the other experiments to see.

'This is more embarrassing then I'd imagined.' thought Stitch as he felt his cheeks burning.

After a full minute of being shown off Jumba set Stitch back on the ground in front of him. The room fell back into silence as Jumba cleared his throat and regained a more appropriate demeanor. "Congratulations, Stitch, on winning your very first tournament," said Jumba in a deep, professional tone, "you have now joined the ranks of a small, elite group of experiments. You now carry their pride and the pride of every other experiment on your tiny shoulders. I'm being most positive that your victory will serve as motivation for all new rookies to the tournament. Now, before we are moving on to rewards, I would… like to apologize."

Stitch's ears suddenly perked up. "I am being so sorry that I tried to forcefully bring you back with experiment 6-2-7. I do not know what I was thinking. Perhaps was having brain flatulations, I don't know," Jumba then noticed Stitch's eyes darting from one balcony to another, "Not to be worrying, 6-2-7 is not here. He was reverted to pod form as a safety precaution. You could not be believing big fuss he made upon his return. Amar had to be restraining him to keep him from tearing apart evil genius equipment. And if it is any consolation, 6-2-7 was getting many stitches as well."

Stitch's eyes drifted over to Amar, who had yet to open an eye. "Well that's… cool." said Stitch with a gulp.

"Now that apologizes are out of the way, we shall move on to best part, rewards!" Another round of cheers echoed through the room. "As winner of the tournament you will be receiving the usual goodies, full access to my personal quarters, where there are many cushy things to sit on, three months vacation in the lab spa, where you will be pampered like king, and five hundred lab credits for you to use to spruce up personal quarters!"

Angel sneered; such "prizes" undermined the true nature of the tournament. They made it all seem like some two-bit game without any consequences. There was no reward that could undo all the suffering that the tournament caused, for both the experiments and their partners alike. She could hardly believe that there had been a time when such things made her think it was all worth it. Stitch was feeling the same way, cushy things or not there was only one thing he truly wanted.

"Now, ordinarily evil genius would give also give you big, shiny medal for you to wear or pin to wall, but resources are limited at the moment. So, as an alternative, evil genius has decided to grant you a single request."

Stitch's heart stopped as his eyes widened in disbelief while Angel's sneer melted as her mouth fell open. "What?" asked Stitch, not fully believing what he had just heard.

"You heard me, I shall grant one request. You may ask for absolutely anything, just so long as it is within evil geniuses abilities of course. You may request an extra month in the spa, full fridge access, maybe a little alone time with a female of your choosing," said Jumba with a wink; Pandora rolled her eyes, "whatever it may be, just speak up, Stitch."

Stitch was frozen in place, his face locked in an expression of amazement. He kept waiting for Jumba to say he was kidding or for the world to grow hazy and him to wake up in his bed. It was too good to be true; there was no way his luck was that good. But nothing happened, he did not wake, Jumba did not say he was joking, it was all very real. Like a glowing hot ember, Stitch's excitement began to burn deep inside him. Even as his outward appearance remained unchanged the excitement, the joy, and the immeasurable relief swelled in his heart. His body began to quiver as he struggled to bring the words to his lips.

"I think he's broken." Pandora said, her head cocked to the side in curiosity.

"Hello, is there being anyone home," sang Jumba as he waved his hand in front of Stitch's face, "Come on, Stitch, it cannot be so hard to think of one little request."

'Say it, dammit.' thought Angel as she clenched her teeth.

Stitch finally blinked and swallowed hard once more. "Th… there is something,"

"Well good, let us be hearing it."

"I want… I want to go back to Earth!" Stitch shouted, all of his pent up exhilaration bursting forth at once, catching nearly everyone by surprise. "My request is to go back to Earth."

"You want to go back," said Jumba as he scratched his head, obviously puzzled by Stitch's request, "Oh I see, you want to see more of the planet. I suppose that makes sense, tournament does not allow for much sightseeing. Very well then, I shall grant you two weeks leave to go to Earth, but make sure to bring back souvenir for evil genius." The large alien said with a belly-jiggling chuckle.

"No, that's not what I meant! I don't want to go there for some little vacation! I… I want to live there, with my partner from the tournament!"

Jumba and every experiment in the room were dumbstruck, their faces void of any real expression. Yet Stitch could feel every eye looking down on him. It was a terribly unnerving sensation that made his skin crawl. A guilty pressure settled on his shoulders, as if his words were a blasphemy. But just as the pressure began to grow unbearable the thick silence was cut by Jumba's boisterous laughter, followed shortly by the laughter from all the experiments.

"Oh, Stitch, that is funniest thing evil genius has heard in long time," Stitch's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Bastard." growled Angel as she glared at Jumba.

"To think, one of my experiments living outside of the lab, how ridiculous! Perhaps, Stitch should consider becoming comedian. Could be splitting many sides with jokes like that."

"This isn't a joke," barked Stitch as he clenched his fists. Jumba's smile immediately straightened, "I want to go back and live on Earth with Lilo, my partner! It's the only thing I want. You can keep your spa's and refrigerators, just let me go live on Earth!"

"You are being serious aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

Both Stitch and Angel knew the scientist put little thought into the request, for the pause between Stitch's words and Jumba's was far too short, even for someone with his intellect. "Absolutely not," Stitch's ears fell to his shoulders while his mouth dropped open ever so slightly, "I cannot allow you to go back to that planet to stay."

"Why the hell not? You said you would grant me any request within your power; you were about to let me go for two weeks so what's the problem with extending it… indefinitely?"

"It is not that request is beyond my abilities, it is that request could be causing big troubles for evil genius and all other experiments."

"Big troubles," Stitch asked while trying to copy his creator's accent, "what could happen?"

Jumba gave a heavy sigh as he rubbed his two lower eyes. "Is being too complicated to explain right now, just make another request."

"I don't want to make another request, all I want is to go back to Earth!" snarled Stitch, giving his creator a clear look at his pearly white teeth.

A low murmur rose up from the balconies of experiments as creator and creation stared into one another's eyes. Stitch's sharp hearing began to pick up faint criticisms uttered by his peers, steadily getting louder with each tense moment. His eyes began to drift away from Jumba's and toward the balconies, suddenly he felt like he was on trial.

"I know you hear them, Stitch," Jumba said with a condemning tone, "Like me, they know that you're request is a foolish one. An experiment's only home is in this lab, nowhere else."

Stitch was struck speechless, though the stupidity of Jumba's words made him want to scream. Fortunately for him, he was not alone in that feeling. "That's bullshit," yelled Angel, her words reverberating several times around the room.

"Angel…" Stitch said in surprise as he turned around to face the female.

"To think that any experiment could call this accursed place home is ridiculous! I know for a fact that we can find homes outside of these walls, because I have. Me and Stitch both have."

A condescending smirk popped up on the scientists face. "And just where is this home of yours? With that barely evolved monkey you had as a partner perhaps?"

"Don't you dare talk about him like that, you festering bag of fat," snarled Angel as she took a few steps toward Jumba, her fists tightening into solid balls. This could easily be taken as a threat toward Jumba and would undoubtedly draw the attention of his two bodyguards. Knowing this, Stitch acted quickly and raced over to Angel's side. He grabbed her shoulder and halted her advance.

"He cared about me more than you ever did," Angel continued, Stitch's firm grasp unable to silence her, "He was there for me when I felt weak and when I felt like I had no hope of becoming champion. Not like you, the last few times I returned from a tournament… you didn't wipe the tears from my eyes or hold me and tell me it'd be all right. No, you just shrugged your shoulders and said 'Better luck next time', as if this damned tournament were just some casual affair. But there won't be a next time because I'd rather spend the rest of my life with him than be stuck in this hellhole with you!"

For a moment Jumba was silent, then with a small chuckle he said: "He told you everything would be all right? But you lost… again; this boy is sounding like liar to me."

Stitch had to grab onto both of Angel's shoulders to keep her in place, even though he felt she had every right to beat his head in. He couldn't believe how Jumba was acting; it was a side of the scientist that he never knew existed.

"Give us a good reason why we can't go back to Earth, and I mean a good one." said Stitch, his patience rapidly deteriorating.

"You shouldn't be needing any reason other than me telling you it is not permitted," scolded Jumba with a wag of his large finger, "but if you are really needing reason, it is because the two of you are too naïve. Compared with other experiment's you are both still young and have much to learn about the universe. I cannot be letting you strand yourselves on primitive planet without knowing what dangers may lurk around corners. You may think I do not care as much as your partner, but whole reason I don't want you going is to keep you safe."

"But it's not like we'd be on our own. Our partners know more about that planet then you do. They'd keep us safe from anything we weren't familiar with." argued Stitch his voice spiking.

"Those fragile humans protecting two of my powerful experiment's, is ridiculous!"

"Those 'fragile' humans are tougher than you think," Stitch retorted, "in the fight against 6-2-7 Lilo suffered broken bones, deep cuts, and bruises galore, yet she was willing to keep on fighting!"

"My partner, Kioko, had the skin burned off his back but we still managed to beat 6-2-7!" Angel added, "You'd be a fool to underestimate them."

"And you would be fools to put your lives in their hands," yelled Jumba, his own patience for the situation gone. The mumblings in the balconies stopped as the alien's powerful voice echoed from the walls, "Jumba has had enough of your arguing for one day. Both of you are to return to your quarters and remain there until evil genius says otherwise. After that, Stitch, you may have your run of spa and other afore mentioned delights, but no request! You have blown chance."

With one last irritated glare, Jumba turned and started walking toward a door at the back of the stage. At the same time the balconies began to empty, an uncomfortable silence surrounding every last experiment. Stitch and Angel were left standing in the artificial light; their hopes of seeing their partners, their loved ones, slipping away from them with every step Jumba took. The two looked at one another, their eyes locking into an unheard debate. Words were not working against their father, no, creator, he didn't deserve the title of father. Only one option sat before them, but it was not a pleasant one. If Jumba would not let go of their leashes, they would make him let go… at any cost.

"Jumba!" screamed Stitch, stopping scientist and experiment alike, in their tracks, "we will _not_ take 'no' for an answer."

Like a single entity, Jumba and all the experiment's turned around with astounded looks upon their faces. The spectacle wasn't over.

"Just because you created us, doesn't mean you have the right to deny us our happiness." said Angel.

"You may not like the idea of us living on another planet, but we don't care," continued Stitch, "you can't stop us from seeing our partners again. And if you try and stop us,"

"We will fight!" Stitch and Angel proclaimed in unison.

One could almost hear jaws hitting the floor as the two small experiments broke the biggest rule in the lab; never stand against the creator. But while the experiments gawked at Stitch and Angel, an unusually calm smile appeared on Jumba's face. The brows of the two experiments furrowed in confusion until suddenly their eyes shot open in terror. For just a few feet in front of them suddenly stood Amar, his arms still folded across his chest, his eyes closed, and his scarf falling down to his back, the only sign that he had even moved. The three rings on the end of his scarf chimed a haunting tune as his eyes slowly opened, revealing orbs of pitch black and iris's of a startling yellow. A weight like nothing they had ever felt suddenly slammed down onto their shoulders, like countless tons of wet sand. Their knees quacked as the immeasurable pressure compressed their bodies, stealing away their breath. In less than a second both experiments were forced down on all fours, gasping for air, as the pressure seemed to crush every organ in their bodies.

Their minds struggled to comprehend, after all their hard work, after all the strength they had gained; all it took was his presence to overwhelm them. All they could see was his feet and yet they could feel his cold, judging gaze piercing their bodies.

"Watch what you say," Amar spoke, his voice filled with power and void of any trace of feeling, "trash like you has no right to make demands of our father. You must know your place. It was his will that brought you life and thus it is his will that governs your life. Your feelings toward this fact are irrelevant. If his will is that you remain here then so it shall be." Jumba gave a nod of agreement.

"What little power you gained in the tournament is inconsequential, as are the connections you made with your partners. No matter the changes you feel you have undergone you remain a child of Dr. Jumba Jookiba. As such, it is your duty to heed his word as law. If you insist on breaking this law, you will be appropriately punished. Let this be a warning to you; I will not allow ungrateful filth, who turn their backs on all that he has given us, to lift a single claw against him. If you try and fight, I will destroy you."

"That's enough, Amar." ordered Pandora.

All of a sudden the pressure vanished from Stitch and Angel's backs, leaving them to collapse onto their stomachs in exhaustion. Every inch of their beings ached, from their skin to their bones. While they fought to regain their breath they raised their heads to see the pantheress sitting in between them and Amar. She sat with a statuesque posture, like some heavenly sentinel, a voice of sympathy.

"What do you think you're doing, Pandora?" questioned Amar.

"I should be asking you two idiots that question," said Pandora with the same tone of a mother scolding her children, "what the hell do you think you're doing, threatening these two, they've done nothing."

"Nothing? Your sympathy toward unworthy refuse such as them has blinded you. Not only did they disregard the orders given to them by our creator, but they then bore their fangs against him. Such crimes cannot go unpunished."

"The only reason they acted that way is because Tubbo over there isn't being reasonable," Pandora shot a glance in Jumba's direction, "All they want is to go back to their partners, people they obviously have grown attached to, and spend the rest of their lives living happily ever after. Now what's so damn wrong about that?"

"Our father already gave the answer to that question. Experiments belong in the lab, nowhere else. Their loyalty and honor lay with him; the idea that they could hold anyone in higher regard is ludicrous."

The pantheress's ears fell back as a toothy grin appeared across her maw. "You're such a liar," she chuckled as Amar raised one, perplexed eyebrow, "if you really believe that then why do you still wear the scarf that girl gave you?"

For a split second, Amar's detached persona broke, his eyes narrowed and his upper lip drew back into a sneer. Pandora had obviously hit a nerve, but the next second it was gone. His anger once again vanished behind an almost robotic demeanor. Yet Pandora's smile remained unchanged.

"Your partnership with her ended almost fifty years ago, but I haven't seen you take that scarf off since. To me that means that you held her in pretty high regard. Perhaps not as high as Jumba, but high enough that you wanted something to remember her by. So you can't tell me that you wouldn't jump at the chance to see _her_ again."

Every ear in the room suddenly perked up, curious to hear Amar's response. He remained silent for a moment, it seemed that Pandora had trumped him.

"I'm afraid you're wrong," he said flat out, "when I became champion of that tournament I was no longer bound to her, my powers were my own again, as a result I have no reason or desire to ever see her again. As for why I still wear this scarf, I do it simply to show my gratitude. Without her help I wouldn't be able to serve our father the way I can today."

Pandora's head fell with an exasperated sigh. "You're such a stubborn ass, how she ever put up with you is beyond me. Well while you may not be able to accept the fact that you miss her, I on the other hand can say, without hesitation, that I'd love to see my first partner again. If I could… I think I'd even wish to stay with him,"

A solemn tone suddenly overcame her voice, "Unfortunately, that's impossible for me. Shortly after the tournament ended, a terrible plague swept across his planet. His species was all but eradicated. A little while later I found out that… he hadn't survived."

"You see, another prime example of why evil genius experiments should not be leaving lab," blurted Jumba, shattering the reminiscent look on Pandora's face "if you hadn't returned to lab when you did you might have been infected."

"I wouldn't have cared," snapped the pantheress, "I would have gladly risked my life to be with him in his final hours. It kills me to this day to think that I wasn't there to comfort him and it's your fault. It's because you made it necessary for us to join with a partner in these stupid tournaments that we develop these bonds. And by the end it's not as easy to let go as you may think. So if two experiments refuse to let go, it's because you gave them something precious to hold on to."

"If that is case then I hold the right to take that something away. They will just have to learn to let go." Jumba said callously as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're the only one who needs to learn to let go!" yelled Pandora as she got back on her feet, the fur on her back bristling in anger. Her outburst caught the scientist off guard and forced him to take an uncomfortable step back. "Are you still _that_ lonely? Are you _that_ afraid to be alone that you're willing to crush the happiness of two of your own creations in order to preserve your own?"

"Lonely?" asked Stitch to no one in particular as he and Angel sat back up, puzzled looks covering their faces.

"If those are the lengths you're willing to take then obviously you don't care about us the way you say you do. In which case, every last experiment here would be far better off without you!" Pandora hissed.

For the first time, it appeared that words had finally broken through Jumba's thick skin. His eyes darted off to a dark corner of the room while his head sunk down to his chest. The sight drew murmurs from the balconies.

"You may have given us life, but that life is ours now. We hold the right to live it the way we want. Wherever or whoever it's with is solely up to us. If you try and change that, we will not be responsible for the hopelessness you feel when your experiments leave you. You will have no one to blame but yourself!"

Jumba practically curled up into a ball on the stage. Guilt had found him and had spared him no mercy. Stitch and Angel looked at each other and then at Jumba. Some how, in his sorrow filled eyes, they could see their hope. Small smiles crossed their lips as they once again looked at each other, but their growing joy was suddenly halted as Amar raised one menacing paw up in front of Pandora's face.

"This treachery has gone far enough. I will not allow another foul word to be said about our father."

"Aww, does the doggy want to fight?" smiled Pandora as Stitch and Angel let out nervous whimpers.

"Joke if you wish, but you and those two weaklings will soon discover," Amar's paw began to glow with a magenta light, "that you're a thousand years too early to stand on equal ground with me."

The pantheress revealed her fangs in an anxious grin as she crouched down, ready to pounce. At the same moment Stitch and Angel started to push themselves backwards, an icy chill running down their backs. Every hair in the room stood on end as the air became dense with anxiety. But before the two titans could lift a single claw Jumba's booming voice sliced through the tension.

"Leave them be, Amar," the large alien commanded as he turned back toward the four experiments, "I'm afraid that she has a point."

Amar was silent for a moment as he looked over his shoulder at Jumba. "As you wish, my father." He finally said as he lowered his paw and backed away as if nothing had happened.

Jumba took a deep breath, held it for a second, and then let out a heavy sigh. Stitch and Angel looked on like curious children, along with the other experiments, as Jumba searched for his words. Despite having an IQ well above that of most beings, the evil scientist found it hard to put together even the first few words. Then, after another minute of thought, he found them.

"I know I've never told you why you were created in first place," started Jumba, speaking not just to Stitch and Angel but to all his experiments, "and I know you all have theories, but it is safe to be saying that none of you know the truth. So let me explain to you the truth behind your creation."

Jumba paused for a second as he held his hands behind his back and began to pace the stage. "Sixty-five years ago I was working as scientist in charge of experimental weaponry for the Galactic Defense Forces. While working on organic bomb Jumba began to dabble in more… advanced genetics. Nothing special at first, just some bacterium and other microscopic creatures, but then I became intrigued. Experiments with bacterium led to more advanced life forms, nothing compared to any of you, but enough to label evil genius as criminal."

Jumba stopped mid stride and turned back toward the four experiments. "The Federation banished me to this place! They took everything Jumba had, equipment, files, even favorite mug! But most importantly… they took away Jumba's life. Every member of evil genius family abandoned me, just as the Federation did. I was left all alone on this filthy rock. It was not long before evil genius began to hear voices," Jumba paused and looked around as if expecting one of the voices to speak up, "but that doesn't matter. What matters is that after about a month I was getting truly genius idea. I would use newfound knowledge of genetics to create company, to create… a family. I wasted no time converting supplies into the necessary machines, and before I knew it the first ten experiments were born."

Bewildered glances passed between the experiments as hearts fluttered wildly between tides of anger, sympathy, and excitement. To no surprise the meaning behind their lives left them without a voice, though what words could fit the moment?

"You made us because you wanted a family?" asked Angel in disbelief as she got to her feet.

Jumba gave a nod. "Wait a minute though," added Stitch, "if all you wanted was a family, why did you give us these powers?"

"Those powers of yours were not part of original plan. First ten experiments had no powers and were not as… sturdy as the rest of you. That is why they are no longer with us; rest their souls. After they passed I realized that this universe is not kind to fragile lives, so Jumba was deciding that experiments needed stronger bodies and ways to defend selves. That is how you came to have the powers you do."

"Ok, then the next question is what's the purpose of these damned tournaments?" Angel said as she folded her arms across her chest.

To her surprise, Jumba let out a small, nostalgic laugh. "That again was not part of plan. But when you lock up rambunctious little critters with super powers in a lab they tend to get a little out of hand. So I came up with tournament, which would allow experiments to vent their energy and would save Jumba money on repair costs. However, I couldn't let experiments go out alone to fight, would draw too much attention from the Federation. So I decided to pair experiments up with natives of underdeveloped planets, in hope that they would keep experiments powers in check and keep them from drawing attention, since the Federation does not watch such planets."

"You're such a hypocrite," scoffed Pandora, "you tell these two that they can't go back to Earth because it'd be too dangerous and yet you're willing to let your experiments go out and beat the crap out of one another. It makes no sense at all."

"I know it makes no sense," defended Jumba, "It is not like evil genius liked idea! That is why self-destruct devices were put in books, to keep experiments from killing one another. It worked too! Jumba has never lost experiment due to tournament ever."

Pandora dropped her head and gave a quick laugh. "You're such an idiot, an important part of a father's job is to protect his children, that much you have right. However, not only must they protect the children from the dangers of the world, but from themselves as well. A good father won't let his children go out and risk their lives just because they want to. That is where you failed. Fortunately, the chance to redeem your self as a father stands before you; grant these two their wish! And in case you've forgotten what that is," Pandora looked back over her shoulder at Stitch and Angel with a grin, "tell him once more what your hearts desire."

Stitch swallowed the stone that had grown in his throat and said: "We want to go back to Earth."

The pantheress's ears fell flat and her brows became wrinkled. "What the hell was that? Do you want to go back or not?"

"Yeah we…"

"Then say it like you mean it!"

"We want to go back to Earth!" Stitch and Angel screamed at once.

"There you go," cheered Pandora before turning back to Jumba, "Well you heard them, now what do you say, Dr. Jumba Jookiba?"

Beads of sweat rolled down the scientist's forehead as every eye drilled into him. He stood motionless in the spotlight, his mind racing between all the possible outcomes of the moment. The feeling of anxiety was amazing to the point of near tangibility. It coiled itself around his heart and mind like a thorny serpent. Its grip only grew tighter as he looked into the two pairs of black eyes that pleaded for an answer. But just then, something very strange happened. As he stared deeper into those eyes a feeling of confidence began to appear and the anxious serpent retreated. That confidence grew until finally it broke out in a smile across the scientist's face.

"I don't know why I'm saying this," started Jumba as he scratched the back of his head, " and it may come back to bite butt later, but if the two of you really want to go back to Earth, you are having my permission."

Smiles stretched so far across Stitch and Angel's faces that it looked like their heads may split in two. A second later both let out squeals of excitement as they turned and wrapped their arms around one another. Pandora couldn't help but laugh as the two began to bounce up and down together. They were like children on Christmas day. But once again their bliss was interrupted by the rough sound of Jumba clearing his throat.

"There is just one stipulation to this. As Jumba explained, it is not often that Federation checks in on underdeveloped planets but if they were to do so, non-native, super powered beings such as yourselves would stand out like swollen digit. If they found you it would not be hard for them to be tracing you back to me, so in order to protect evil genius and your fellow experiments… I cannot let you take your books back. Which means that you will be unable to use spells ever again. Are you understanding me?"

The two experiments glanced briefly at one another. "We understand." They said in unison.

"Are you sure," insisted Jumba, "it would mean losing all those powers you worked so hard for. Think about it, you both unlocked final spells, we've never had two experiments unlock final spells in the same tournament before, and they're only a fraction of their potential power! Are you positive you are wanting to give all that up?"

Stitch and Angel paused for a moment, each looking in different directions as they contemplated their decision. A small smirk began to form on Jumba's face as it seemed he had found their weakness, they wouldn't give up their magnificent powers just to stay with some measly humans. But then, to his surprise, the two began to laugh.

"The tournament is over, there's no need for those powers anymore." smiled Stitch.

"And losing them is a small price to pay for happiness." added Angel.

"I see," Jumba said with a sigh, "well then that settles it, you two are to prepare for deployment back to Earth. You shall leave immediately!" Jumba's expression froze for an instant and then melted into a sympathetic look, aimed at the other experiments. "Out of fairness to the rest of you… any experiment who wishes to return to Earth or another former battle ground may speak now. Take note that Jumba will never offer chance like this again, so think carefully."

Stitch, Angel, Pandora, and Jumba looked on curiously as the experiments began muttering amongst themselves. To Stitch and Angel's surprise there were no immediate takers and they couldn't understand why. Surely they couldn't have been the only ones who missed their partners.

"I want to go!" shouted a familiar voice from one of the higher balconies.

Stitch smiled as a purple speck shot out from the balcony and dove down toward them. In the next instant two clawed feet landed gracefully on the ground in front of Stitch.

"Snooty!" cheered Stitch as he wrapped his arms around his friend.

"Stitch, it's been too long," said Snooty as he wrapped his wings around Stitch, "I knew you would win!"

"I take it you are wishing to return to Earth as well, Snooty?" asked Jumba.

"Yes sir." Snooty said with a nod.

"Alright, anyone else?"

Once again there were no takers. "Oh come on, there's got to be more of you that want to get out of this lab!" yelled Angel as she looked between the balconies.

"Yeah, I'm sure your partners would love seeing you again," shouted Stitch. Just then his eyes caught another familiar face in the crowd. "Yin, I know you and Maria were close, don't you want to see her again?"

"It would be nice," replied the squid-like experiment, "but I just have no interest in going back to that planet. I don't like the idea of having to hide what I am all the time. Besides, Yang is here." Yin smiled as she nuzzled the volcano experiment next to her.

The room remained silent for a minute longer as Jumba waited for any last minute decisions. But when it seemed that no others would speak up he turned back toward the three experiments.

"It is looking like you are only ones. How lucky of you, getting run of tropical island to yourselves. Well, enough of this dilly-dallying, if we are wanting to get you back to Earth we must hurry. Go to deployment room, Jumba will go make necessary preparations. Come, Amar."

"Yes, Father."

With those final words Jumba turned and hurried off to the door at the back of the stage, followed closely by Amar. The three friends did not hang around to dwell on their victory, they too hurried off, but before they got out of the main chamber they were stopped by Pandora.

"I hope you three appreciate just how lucky you are," the pantheress said, "To be honest I'm rather envious."

"None of this would be happening if it weren't for you," said Stitch, "You can't imagine how grateful we are. How could we ever repay you?"

Pandora smiled and placed a large paw on Stitch's shoulder. "Darling, there are many ways _you_ could repay me," she purred before walking away, running her tails underneath Stitch's chin as she went, leaving Stitch's face as red as a tomato. "If you really want to repay me though, there is something all three of you can do. Make sure that you savor every moment you have with your partners, both the good and the bad."

Pandora then looked at Angel. "You especially, Sweetie. You've been peculiarly unlucky when it comes to partners, I'm glad to see you finally got yourself a good one."

"Believe me, I won't let a minute slip by." laughed Angel.

"That's good, you two make sure to do the same."

"We will." said Stitch and Snooty.

Pandora looked over the three experiments one last time and then started to walk toward the stage. "Well, I wish you all the best of luck with your new lives, I really do. Now get your little butts moving, hustle!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

**Finally, the end of this chapter! The Tejina series is virtually over! Just one more chapter to go, though I haven't decided whether or not the epilogue will be included with the chapter or not. Either way, I predict that before Christmas this series will be done! Please review.**


	8. A New Beginning

The Tejina Chronicles: Final Days

By: Kioko the pirate

Chapter 8: A New Beginning

Though the scars of the final battle remained fresh in the soil of the island and in the hearts of its victims, if one were to glance into the home of former combatant, Victoria, they would think the tournament had long since ended. While Lilo and Kioko were left to struggle with returning their lives to normal, Victoria had already managed to move on. The tournament no longer weighed on her thoughts; dreams of her battles had become less frequent and more vague, and the memories grew more and more distant. However, there were some memories that refused to die. They were the memories of that childish little bat, Snooty.

As the redhead sat at her computer, mindlessly browsing the Internet, she couldn't help but look over at a green photo album that sat, half covered in school papers, at one corner of her desk. She stared at the book for a moment with a smirk across her face and then reached forward and picked up the book, allowing the numerous papers to fall to the floor. Scooting back from the desk she placed the book on her lap and ran her hand over the cover. Her delicate fingers traced over her and Snooty's names, written across the cover in glue and glitter. A smile stretched across the girls face as she opened the album to the first page. Victoria instantly found herself looking down on some of her and Snooty's earliest moments together. Training, spontaneous moments, and even some family reactions to meeting the alien for the first time graced each page.

Each photo seemed to pop off the page, playing in her head like a wonderful slideshow. But suddenly, the show ended as she turned to the first blank page, only half way through the album. Once again, Victoria was reminded of the abrupt end to their time together. Her smile fell into a frown as she flipped through the empty pages, thinking of all the memories they could have shared. For a moment she just stared at the pages, a growing frustration building inside her. But just then, she slammed the album shut and tossed it onto the desk.

"Oh stop it," Victoria shouted at herself as she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms angrily across her chest, "Come on, this is ridiculous. There's no point in getting upset, you knew it would be like this from the beginning. He's an alien, he can't stay here it would be… unnatural."

"He's better off with his own kind. I mean, even with me here he'd start to feel lonely. I know if the situation were reversed I'd start to miss being around other people."

"Victoria," her mothers voice suddenly exclaimed through her bedroom door, "did you remember to get the trash out?"

"Yeah, Mom!"

"What about the dishes?" her mom continued.

"Got them all cleaned and put away." replied Victoria.

"Ok, thank you."

Victoria leaned forward, placed her elbow on her desk, and rested her chin in her hand. "I wouldn't miss chores though. That's for sure."

The girl paused and looked back down at the album, her free hand moved onto the cover, ready to open it once more. But it didn't, it simply rested where it lay. "I do wish I could see him again, maybe just one more time. It would be nice just to see how he's doing. I'd even settle for a letter."

Victoria laughed at the thought and stood up from the desk. She locked her door, pulled down the blinds, and changed into her pajamas before finally sitting back down in her chair. She scooted the chair over to the window, opened the blinds, leaned back, and placed her feet up on the sill. She folded her hands over her stomach and stared up into the night sky.

"I hope you're doing well, Snooty. Wherever you maybe right now. You better not be causing any mischief, because I will come up there," smiled Victoria as she pointed up to a random star, "I'm not afraid to ground you, Mister."

"Just so you know, I'm doing fine. So you don't need to worry about me," Her eyes began to grow watery, "My grades are good, I got a raise at work, oh, and I even got a car! Can you believe it? It's a real beauty… you should really see it… one day."

Victoria chuckled as she wiped a tear from her eye. "How lame is this? I'm crying over nothing. When did I become so sensitive?"

The red head stood up from the chair and reached to pull down the blinds again, but she stopped and stared up into the sky one more time. "I miss you, Snooty. I miss you more than you could ever know. I just hope that one day we can see each other again."

Victoria's jaw quivered as she tried to continue, but no words would come. So with a sniffle she pulled down the blinds and crawled beneath her covers. But while she tried, in vain, to smother the painful feelings she had brought upon herself, she was unaware of how fortunate she was. Even though her heart ached, she was able to laugh, to find happiness in her life. That was a luxury that Kioko did not share.

The pain that Victoria felt was a far cry from what raged within the young man's mind. No one could imagine what went through his head as he sat hunched over his kitchen table, staring blankly as if his soul had been ripped from him. An empty glass was gripped in one hand while the other held his forehead. In front of him was a half empty bottle of whiskey and a small pistol, with a single bullet loaded in the chamber. The rest of the house was dark, the light from above the table was all that kept the suffocating bleakness at bay. But it could not touch the hopelessness that ravaged every passing moment.

His eyes drifted over to the bottle, the light gave its rough surface a glisten like some fine jewel, casting a small, half colored rainbow out the other side. The contents of the bottle had done little more than the light had to ease his suffering. Yet he continued to drink, each time hoping that the next glass would help him forget. Before long, two more glasses were filled and emptied, but the memories remained. He felt like he was watching a compilation of his greatest failures as his mind flashed between his and Angel's final moments together and the last words spoken between him and Michelle. To make things even better, the promises he made to each of them sang out over and over again, like some hellish choir. Mocking him, taunting him, they took on his father's voice, forcing him to pour another glass.

He couldn't even bring himself to think that his life was crumbling around him; after all, you can't call a shattered mirror cracked. The last piece of his life tumbled to the ground as the last piece of the spell book turned to ash. There was nothing left, he had lost his second chance, and though Angel had tried to convince him otherwise, he couldn't see it any other way. Thanks to him she had lost the tournament, there was no reason for her to be so kind, he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve any of it.

Kioko tipped the bottle into the glass one more time, but only a single drop fell. Without a change in expression, he flung the empty bottle against the wall, picked up the glass, and raised it to his lips. He tipped his head back as he tried desperately to get every last drop, but he only managed to get a nose-full of ice. With a sigh, he slammed the glass down onto the table and started to rub his bloodshot eyes. After a moment he dropped his head down onto the table and stretched his arms out in front of him. The cool tabletop felt refreshing but something else quickly grabbed his attention. He raised his head up to see his right hand resting atop the pistol. He ran his fingers down the length of the weapon, carefully feeling each indentation in the metal.

What is there to do when every option has been exhausted? What happens when one's purpose ends long before they do? What reason is there to live when all chances for happiness are gone? There simply is no reason for one to put them selves through a lifetime of misery needlessly. To do so is a crime against life itself. Kioko's fingers wrapped themselves around the handle of the gun, squeezing it tight, as if it would leap from his hand. He had sworn on his life that he would make her champion and she wasn't. The tournament was over and she was still just a loser. Half of the bargain was lost, but he wasn't about to let the other slip by.

Kioko sat up in the chair and looked down at the gun in his hand. His whole body trembled as a cold chill slithered down his spine. His knuckles grew white as he gripped the gun harder, trying to stop his shaking. A fear began to grow deep in his mind, preventing him from putting his finger on the trigger. But the voices of failure quickly wiped it away. He had to pay the toll for what he had done. Because of him a dream was crushed, such a sin could not go unpunished. With a single pull of the trigger he would show the universe, show Angel, that he was willing to claim responsibility. He would show them that he was more than willing to pay the price. Kioko placed his finger on the trigger and slowly began to raise the pistol when, suddenly, a meteor, engulfed in purple flames, slammed into the forest a short distance away with a thunderous explosion. The impact was so great that it shook every inch of Kioko's home and so deafening that he did not hear the gunshot. Only after the shaking had calmed did he notice the searing pain in his shoulder.

The boy looked down to see blood pouring from a large hole in his shoulder; the explosion had caused him to pull the trigger early. He had failed once again. All of a sudden, anger replaced despair and in the blink of an eye, blame fell from Kioko's shoulders and onto the nameless force that had foiled him. With short, sharp breaths Kioko threw the gun to the side, got to his feet and stormed off toward the front door. The effects of the booze suddenly kicked into high gear, causing the young man to bounce off of walls and stumble over his own feet as he went. By some small miracle he managed to find the doorknob and fling open the door. The cool night air rushed over him like a refreshing stream, yet at the same time mixed with his drunken stupor and increasing blood loss to nearly knock him over. Regaining his balance he stepped out onto the patio and looked deep into the forest. A flickering, purple light silhouetted the towering palms and a column of bluish-grey smoke rose up into the sky, fading and hiding the stars.

Kioko's mind struggled to make sense of what he was seeing. It was as if the cogs in his head were filled with sand. There was only one thing he knew of that burned with such a light, but there was no way it could be possible. The boy sneered as the purple glow relit the flames in his heart. He turned and moved to go back inside and finish what he had started, but before he could, a rustling sound caught his ear. Kioko looked over his shoulder toward the dense underbrush and through his fuzzy vision saw a small figure climb out into the open. He turned back around to face the figure, blinking his eyes repeatedly, trying to bring the image into sharper focus. But the figure remained fuzzy, until suddenly it vanished entirely.

Before Kioko knew what happened he was struck in the chest and knocked back against the doorframe. Wincing from the jolt to his shoulder he slid down to the ground and looked to see what had hit him. His tired eyes grew wide and his heart felt as though it was clenched in a vice as he saw a mass of pink fur holding tight onto his chest. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; it was impossible; it had to be a trick of his exhausted mind. But as the pink creature looked up at him with black, teary eyes, the feeling of her tiny paws gripping his shirt became real.

"I'm back," Angel smiled, her lower jaw quivering slightly.

Kioko opened his mouth in an attempt to speak, but no words came forward. Fortunately, the pink experiment did not wait for him to say anything. She let go of Kioko's chest, immediately moved upward, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I was so scared that I wouldn't see you again, but now I'm the one who has been given a second chance," she continued as she rubbed her cheek against his, "I never want to leave your side, not for anyone or anything!"

Kioko could only lie there, struggling to grasp what was going on. He couldn't figure out how he should feel. The obvious answer would be overpowering joy, but he still half expected to wake up elsewhere. He raised a shaking hand and moved to place it on her back, however, he paused just short, fearing that there would nothing there.

"I'm here to stay, Kioko," said Angel as she pulled away from her embrace, tears running down her cheeks, "I'm here to…" the experiment stopped as she suddenly noticed her partner wincing in pain.

She looked over to her right paw, where a wet feeling had begun to seep into her fur. The female experiment removed her paw from his shoulder and let out a sharp gasp as she found it covered in blood.

"You're bleeding!" she exclaimed as she started to investigate the wound, "Why the hell are you bleeding? And have you…"Angel sniffed the air, "have you been drinking? Kioko, what the hell is…"

Angel was once again stopped mid sentence as Kioko's hand came down on the back of her head and pulled her in close. Her eyes widened as she felt her lips press against his. It lasted for only a moment, but the sensation lingered as the boy's arms wrapped themselves around her small body and his face became buried in her neck. The realization of what had transpired after she had left brought a new wave of exultant tears to her eyes. Once more she wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself as close as she could. The true depth of their bond was all too clear.

In that same instant, miles away, another earth-shattering explosion shook Victoria awake and threw her from her bed. The young girl landed on her back with her legs sticking up toward the ceiling, her sheets half covering her.

"What… the hell… was that?" she exclaimed, her heart pounding away in her chest.

After taking a moment to catch her breath, Victoria rolled over and got her feet on the floor. She gave a moan as she stood up holding her lower back. But the throbbing in her spine quickly vanished as curiosity got the better of her. Victoria walked over to the window and rolled up the blinds. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the houses were dark and the street was painted by the orange glow of the street lamps. There was absolutely no sign of what ever had viciously knocked her from her dreams. She scratched her head as she looked around as far as she could without opening the window. But with no sign of anything to keep her interest, her curiosity died as quickly as it had come. So, after a final survey of the street, Victoria pulled down the blinds and turned to go back to bed.

"That was weird," she said to herself while putting her blankets back on the bed, "I could have sworn something exploded outside. Maybe it was just in my head, one of those tricks of the mind I've heard people talk about."

The red head began to laugh a little. "That would mean I threw myself out of bed. My brain was trying to beat me up!" she exclaimed in quiet, amused revelation.

"Then again," she continued, "What if it wasn't a dream?"

The young girl decided to look and see if any other member of her family had been awakened by the blast. She walked over to her door and, as quietly as she could, opened it. Poking her head out of the doorway, Victoria looked toward each end of the hallway. There were no lights coming out from underneath any other doors, so it seemed safe to assume that her parents hadn't woken up. To make sure though, she put her hand to her ear and listened for their voices. There was nothing but silence. Perplexed, Victoria let out a long sigh through her nose and pulled back into her room.

"I guess that settles it then. If there had really been an explosion or something, Mom would be running around the house in a panic. Looks like it was all just in my head. God, wait till Lilo hears about this, she'll get a good laugh out of it."

Finally, dismissing the incident as a freak physiological glitch, Victoria got back into bed and wiggled her way under the blankets. Just then, another loud noise jolted her to her feet. It sounded like something large had smacked into her window. Her heart began to pound in her chest once again, this time out of fear instead of confusion. There was no denying that the noise had been real, but she was hesitant to investigate. Her rationality had disappeared, she could only picture opening the blinds and seeing a monster or a man with an axe staring in at her. Her mind fought with this nightmare scenario as she stood staring intently at the plain white blinds. After a moment her rationality regained control and curiosity drove her forward.

Still nervous about what she might see, she grabbed the pull-string and yanked it down as if she were tearing off a Band-Aid. With a loud clatter the blinds shot to the ceiling and revealed… nothing, nothing but nighttime. Victoria couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, especially after the spectacle that her mind had prepared her for. The red head put her face closer to the window and surveyed the street just as she had done earlier, but there was still nothing different. Her perturbed breath fogged the glass and clouded her view. She wiped it away a few times and then decided it would easier just to open the window. Just like the blinds she threw up the window and jutted her head out into the cool air. She looked in nearly every direction but she still couldn't see anything. All of a sudden, a small groan caught her ear.

"Help me," moaned a young voice from below.

She looked down to see Snooty lying on his back in the flowerbed; a small bit of blood running from his nose. A light, far more brilliant than any star in the sky erupted in her eyes. The corners of her mouth rose up into sharp peaks, displacing the red specks on her cheeks.

"I forgot about the window." The purple bat said with a smile.

With a girlish squeal Victoria leapt from the window, not caring about the mud below. She splashed down into the wet soil and immediately dropped to her knees. In the blink of an eye she scooped the experiment up like a greedy pirate grabbing for his gold. Before Snooty knew it, he was being crushed in the girl's ecstatic grasp.

"My god, Snooty, I can't believe it! You came back!" Victoria cheered as she lifted him into the air.

"Of course I did, silly. I couldn't just leave you to deal with Myrtle by yourself the rest of your life."

The two broke out into a fit of laughter that, surprisingly, didn't wake the neighbors. After a few moments their laughing settled and they were left just staring at one another, broad smiles on their faces. Victoria finally brought the bat in for a, gentler, hug.

"I've missed you so much," she said softly, "I never really forgave myself for losing you like I did. We've missed out on so much time we could have shared."

Snooty wrapped his wings around the girl and nuzzled her cheek. "That's all in the past now, it no longer matters. We have all the time in the world now to share because I'm back for good. "

Victoria sniffled. "Really?"

The bat gave a quick nod. "Really."

"Awesome." Victoria said casually, trying as hard as she could to control her real excitement.

The two friends began to rock back and forth in the muck, the rest of the world faded into the background. All was silent save for the sound of their breathing until suddenly, a loud bang broke them from their bliss. They looked up to see that the window had fallen shut.

"Crap." sighed Victoria.

"I hate windows." added Snooty.

The veil of sorrow that had fallen over the tranquil island of Kauai had begun to lift. Hearts broken by senseless battle and unforgiving distance merged once more. Feelings of guilt and regret were obliterated under the light of a hopeful future. But there remained one heart untouched by the merciful light. Only a short distance away, Lilo remained imprisoned by the chains of loss. No matter how hard she tried to view things in a positive manner the fact remained that Stitch… was gone.

It was so strange having a normal life again; the things usually taken for granted took on an almost fanciful feeling. With the stress of battle gone, Lilo quickly realized just how much of her life had been consumed by the tournament. The usual teenage problems paled in comparison to what she had gone through. Life seemed so mundane. As she walked into her bedroom, hair still wet from a hot shower, dressed in pajamas, her mind buzzed over what she would do the next day. It was going on Saturday, so there was no school, she didn't have any homework, as far as she knew, and she had no chores. Already the boredom was setting in, squeezing the world around her until it was skin-tight.

Without even thinking to finish drying her hair, Lilo fell backwards onto her bed. A heavy sigh left her to sink down into the plush comforter. Her eyes lingered at the ceiling for a moment before settling down onto the pineapple crate that had served as her partner's bed. She stared at the unkempt pile of blankets and pillows that still filled the crate with a look of guilt, draped over her face like an ugly mask. After a moment the sensation grew too intense and so she flipped over onto her other side. She then stared into the pictures taped along the wall, like an unfinished collage. Her fists, held close, tightened as she found herself staring at a picture of her and Stitch.

The two of them were striking unnecessarily dramatic battle poses, with Lilo holding the book wide open, pointing courageously off into the unseen like a mighty general, and with Stitch at her side, claws and fangs bared, ready to strike. No matter where she looked, something always reminded her of him. With a frustrated growl she rolled onto her back and once more stared up at the ceiling.

"What did I do," Lilo groaned as she held her hands over her face, "Why didn't I listen? He said he wanted to stay, but no, I just had to go and make him fight. Sure he won, but that doesn't matter, he's still gone. I'm such an idiot!"

Lilo pulled her hands away from her face and rested them beside her. "He's probably just cussing me out right now. Yeah, just sitting up in that lab tearing me a new one. I deserve it though; I was so narrow-minded that I selfishly forced him to do something he didn't want to do just so I could feel better about myself."

Just then, a terrifying realization settled onto the girl's thoughts. "Oh my god, it wasn't just the final battle, it was the whole damn tournament! The whole time I was using him as a way to boost my ego! I'm evil," she yelled as she returned her hands to her face, "I'm evil and I'm sick! I only wonder what kind of horrendous punishment the fates have in store for me?"

In a flash, Lilo threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. "Fates above, I now await your swift retribution!" Lilo proclaimed as she raised her hands to the ceiling.

The young Hawaiian girl stood motionless for several moments, with her hands outstretched, anxiously waiting for some form of punishment to strike her down. Nothing appeared to be happening until the lamp on her nightstand began to flicker and then died. Lilo lowered her hands and stared at the lamp disappointedly.

"Was that it," she asked with one brow raised, "is that all I get? Come on, people, at the very least I deserve a stubbed toe! I'll take the flu, bad credit, a parking ticket, just give me something!" Lilo stopped and waited for another minute, but nothing else happened. "Ok fine, you know what, I'm canceling my subscription to your newsletter! I don't need you!"

Lilo whipped around and walked over to the window. She dropped to her knees and rested her elbows on the windowsill. Feeling exhausted from her yelling she started to take deep breaths as she stared out into the darkened forest. With a little push she opened the window and took in the cool, refreshing smell of the island. Her mind quickly settled, but her heart remained in turmoil. She placed her chin in her palm and looked up at the tops of the mountains, drawing the boundary between Heaven and Earth.

"I'm so sorry, Stitch," she whispered as her eyes became wet, "you deserved so much more than me. You deserved someone who wouldn't use you as an aid to their pathetic concerns. Hopefully, in your next tournament, you'll find someone better. Hopefully, you'll forget about what I did to you."

Tears finally found their way out and soon drew dark streaks down Lilo's cheeks. The thought of Stitch forgetting about her practically flipped her stomach upside down. She would love it if he could forget about what she did to him, yet at the same time; the thought of him forgetting her was frightening.

"Maybe this is my punishment, I'll just feel like I'm being torn apart from the inside out for the rest of my life. That'd be fair enough. But I hope you know that if I could, I'd go back and change all of it. I'd probably go back and beat some sense into myself. You're doing this for him, you idiot, not for yourself. Yeah, that's what I'd do. Maybe then things could be different, maybe you'd still be around."

Lilo turned around, dropped to the floor, and leaned back against the windowsill. "I know it'd be pointless, but I wish you were here," Lilo said looking back at Stitch's bed, "so I could tell you just how sorry I was. Even if you didn't accept my apology, at least I'd be able to see you again."

With a small sniffle Lilo wiped the tears from her face and wiped them on her pajama leg. All of a sudden, as her hand rose up for another wipe, a loud roar cut through the night, shaking the entire house. The young girl then noticed an eerie green light gradually filling her room. She turned to look out the window and was greeted by the sight of a large, green fireball falling from the sky. She followed the object as it fell in front of the mountains and then crashed into the forest not far from her window. Lilo had to look away as the impact sent a strong gust of air right at her. The moment the wind disappeared she looked toward where the object had hit. Off in the distance she could see smoke rising into the air, accompanied by the flickering green light.

She didn't know why, but from out of nowhere she got a burning feeling deep in her gut that told her, commanded her to run. Without a second thought she heeded the feeling's orders and bolted from her room and down the stairs. She raced down the hall and skidded around the corner into the living room. Though her shoes sat right beside the front door they may as well have been invisible as Lilo threw open the door and continued out into the night. She practically leapt to the bottom of the front steps before making her way toward the forest. Even as her bare feet grew cold and damp she didn't lose her pace. She used her arms like machetes to knock down the foliage that got in her way. She moved like a woman possessed and yet she still didn't know what it was that possessed her. All she knew was that she needed to get there fast.

After running for what seemed to have been a hundred miles, she began to see the green glow through the trees. The air grew warmer as she approached the site and the burning sensation turned to a knot in her stomach. With a few last swipes of her arms Lilo finally stepped out into the clearing, freshly made by the object. Before her was a crater about the size of a large truck and just as deep. Green flames snapped into the air as if orchestrating the many smaller fires that dotted the area. Lilo couldn't take her eyes off of the flames as she started circling the crater. She half expected something to emerge from that fiery hell, but as she stared she could see nothing but flames. The knot in her stomach untied itself and the cost of her night run quickly caught up. The young girl stopped underneath a tree to catch her breath, the burden of disappointment weighed on her shoulders once more. In fact, she was so distracted by what she had hoped to find that she didn't notice a small, blue head with long ears drop down from the branches behind her.

"Figures, the one time I actually _hope_ for something weird to happen a regular, boring, old meteor falls from the sky. Now you're just being mean," said Lilo to the invisible fates as she looked up to the stars, "even for you!" she added before turning an about-face and storming off.

However, she didn't get far, for immediately after turning around her head smacked into something hard. Stunned, Lilo stumbled back and fell on her butt.

"Ow, what the hell," Lilo snapped as she rubbed her forehead, "What did I just…"

Lilo froze mid sentence as he looked to see what she had hit. Just like Kioko, her mind stuttered as she saw Stitch sitting on the ground in front of her, rubbing his own forehead.

"Geez, I thought I had a hard head, but yours is like steel." Stitch groaned as he looked at the bewildered girl.

"Stitch… Stitch is… is that really you?" Lilo managed to say though she could feel the gears of rationality grinding in her skull.

"It isn't the Easter bunny." the blue experiment said with a smile.

The young girl stayed locked in position, her body waiting for her mind to find itself. But as she gazed into the two black orbs that gazed back, the gears began to turn and rationality was thrown out the window. She scrambled over to her partner on her hands and knees and pulled him onto her lap in a deep embrace. Stitch purred as he felt her warmth sink into his body; he was in his own little heaven. Lilo cracked a smile of her own as she felt his fur in her fingers. It felt like she was feeling it for the first time in years. But as she stuck her nose against his head and took a whiff of his slightly musky scent she was reminded of her guilt. To Stitch's surprise and dismay the young girl dumped him from her lap and backed away.

"God, you're being rough tonight aren't you?" Stitch said as he pushed himself up.

"Why would you let me do that?" Lilo asked solemnly with her head hung low.

"What?" Stitch replied, tilting his head to the side.

"Why would you let me hug you like that after what I did? Why would you come back here?" repeated Lilo with a shout.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Lilo's head dropped back down. "I made you fight when you didn't want to; I used you as a way to make me feel better about myself; so why aren't you mad at me?"

Stitch's ears drooped down to his shoulders. "Because it was me that led you to do all those things," Lilo raised her head, "I kept talking about how much I wanted to win the tournament and so you drove yourself to do just that. It's because of the fact that I asked you to be my partner that you were given an opportunity to feel better about yourself. I can tell you're beating yourself up over these things, but you shouldn't be. I was the catalyst for all of them; you're not to blame."

With a small smirk on his face Stitch walked over to Lilo and placed a gentle paw on her shoulder. "Besides, it all turned out for the better in the end. I managed to talk Jumba into giving me a permanent Hawaiian vacation. Now I just have to figure where I'm going to stay." said Stitch with a sly grin on his face.

With one last tear, Lilo's grave expression surrendered to a joyous smile. As that last tear fell to the ground, Lilo leaned forward and closed her arms tight around the tiny, blue alien. Stitch purred in delight and hugged her back, just as tight. At long last the veil of sorrow completely lifted from the island, leaving behind not a shred. Friends, brought together by the most extraordinary of circumstances, were free to live how they wished. The petty desires of a fruitless battle settled into the dust of the past, leaving nothing but a brilliant future ahead.

**That's it, that's the end of the last real chapter to this story and to the entire "Tejina" series! All that's left is the epilogue. So I'll save my final words till then.**


	9. Epilogue

The Tejina Chronicles: Final Days

By: Kioko the pirate

Epilogue

It didn't take long for the experiments to fall into their respective niches in their partner's ordinary lives. In fact, they made it seem like they had been there the whole time. In just a few short months, the tournament that had brought them all together, fell into the dusty archives of history. For the first time in their lives the experiments got a taste of true peace. There were no battles, no required training, and no vying for dominance over other experiments. Combined with their sealed spells, they initially found it all to be rather unnerving. But with just a few suggestions from their partners on how to fill their time, they quickly adjusted to what was undeniably a wonderful life.

"Where in the world is Stitch? It shouldn't be taking him this long to get a few cans of paint." asked Lilo impatiently as her, Victoria, and Snooty sat in the middle of her living room floor.

All the furniture in the room was gone, replaced by white tarps that covered every inch of floor. Blue painters tape outlined every wall, several empty paint buckets and paint trays sat idly around the room. Nani had asked Lilo to paint the living room while she was away on a business trip to the big island; Victoria had been roped in almost against her will. Unfortunately, the two girls had botched their estimates and hadn't bought enough paint. So with only one and a half walls completed Stitch had been sent on a quick paint run. However, the two girls had since been waiting close to an hour.

"Maybe he got lost," suggested Victoria as she leaned back on her arms, "you know he's bad with directions."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he got side tracked by that new bakery that just opened up. Ever since he saw them making coconut cake there he's been trying to get them to hire him on as a 'taste tester'."

Victoria laughed. "They hire him as a taste tester they won't have anything to sell."

"That's for sure. Which reminds me, how's it going at the hospital, Snooty?"

One of the suggestions that Victoria had given Snooty was to find a hobby or something that better fit his interests. Since he had never been much a fighter he looked for something that better suited his peaceful nature. So after a short search he found a position at the local hospital as a volunteer in pediatrics. His playful, child-like demeanor helped ease the fears that many of the children felt while going through their treatments. His antics were so uplifting that he was given credit for helping several children recover, when they may not have otherwise made it.

"Oh it's awesome," Snooty cheered with a few enthusiastic flaps of his wings, "just the other day they brought in this little girl named Anna. She was in for some chemotherapy to help treat this tumor she had on her spine. She hadn't smiled in months, no matter how hard her parents or the doctors tried, but the moment she saw me…"

"She started smiling?" guessed Lilo.

"No, actually she screamed. But when she did it startled me and I threw my wings out, which knocked this tray of oatmeal out of this orderly's hands, which then spilled all over me. That's when she smiled."

"Aww, well good for you, good for her too."

"Yeah, now I'm thinking I'll add some slapstick to my act."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." agreed Lilo as she ran her hand over a dry paint roller.

Snooty gave a short nod before the three friends fell into a dull silence. They could practically hear the paint drying on the walls. The only real sound came form Lilo's fingernails, anxiously tapping against the floor. Fortunately for them the silence was ended by a loud knock on the door.

"Finally, took him long enough." blurted Lilo as she got to her feet.

The girl walked over to the door and opened it; she kept her head pointed down as she expected to see Stitch standing there. Instead, she saw a pair of finely polished black shoes staring up at her. She looked up to see Kioko standing before her in a navy blue uniform, with a holster strapped to his belt, a radio hanging from his shoulder, and a shiny brass star pinned on his chest.

"Kioko," she said with pleasant surprise, "or should I say officer Kioko. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Kioko just smiled. He was still getting used to hearing people call him "Officer". After Angel returned, and brought him back from the brink of self-destruction, he continued to feel like he had let her down. So after failing to rid him of this feeling herself, she posed the suggestion that he join the police force. The idea being that when he served the citizens and stopped crime, he would feel like he accomplished something. As it turned out, Kioko had a natural talent for law enforcement. He received high marks in the academy and upon entering the force began receiving commendations left and right. His efforts even managed to lower the crime rate by a whole two percent.

"Oh, we were just in the neighborhood and thought we'd drop by to see how the painting was coming along. Also, Nani told me to check up on you from time to time."

"Why am I not surprised?" sighed Lilo.

"Just shows that cares about you," laughed Kioko, "but no, there was one other reason why we stopped by. I believe this belongs to you."

Lilo looked on curiously as Kioko waved someone over from the other end of the porch. A moment later Stitch appeared beside Kioko with his arms folded behind him and held tightly together by a smirking Angel. Not liking the idea of being left alone at home while Kioko was working, Angel applied for the force shortly after Kioko got out of the academy. With her physical strength and speed unaffected by her lack of a spell book it wasn't hard for her to prove her worth to the department. While the department listed her as a canine officer, she was spared the demeaning tasks given to actual dogs such as sniffing out drugs, and was assigned to be Kioko's partner once again. It was with her help that the crime rate dropped.

"Stitch, what in the world did you do?" exclaimed Lilo as she looked over her partner.

Not only did the small, blue experiment have an irritated look painted on his face he literally had different colors of paint splattered across his body. "I didn't do anything, I'm innocent I tell you!" he snapped.

Lilo looked to Kioko for an explanation, knowing full well that Stitch was guilty of whatever it was that he did. "Stitch hear managed to wreck half a hardware store in under two minutes. His explanation of how this happened was that he was there to pick up some paint and an employee driving a forklift tried to run him over but missed, hit the shelves of merchandise and caused a chain reaction that caused all the damage," Kioko took a deep breath and then continued, "what actually happened was this: The paint that he was after was on an upper shelf, but instead of asking for some assistance he decided to climb up the shelves and get it himself. In the process of doing so he knocked down a can of paint, which struck the employee in the forklift right on the head. This employee was knocked unconscious and then crashed into the shelf causing it to fall. That would have been the end of it, but in an attempt to escape the falling shelf, Stitch launched himself onto another shelf which knocked it off balance and caused it to topple into the remaining shelves."

"Oh my god, Stitch!" yelled Lilo as she glared down at her partner.

"Hey they can't prove any of that! It's their word against mine." defended Stitch.

"Can't prove it? Shall we watch the security tape again?" asked Kioko as he pulled a small tape out from his back pocket.

"So what do we do now?" asked Lilo concernedly.

"Fortunately, I managed to talk to the owner out of pressing charges. Which is a big no-no for police officers, so don't say anything about it. Just make sure that someone goes with him next time."

Kioko snapped his fingers and Angel released Stitch by more or less shoving him into the house. "Hey, easy does it. That badge doesn't give you the right to be a bully." said Stitch as he pointed to the badge that hung around Angel's neck.

"I'm not being a bully, I'm just doing my job as a noble enforcer of the law. Consider it roughing up a criminal to how him who is in charge." said Angel with a sly grin.

Stitch raised an eyebrow and gave a small chuckle. "A noble enforcer of the law? I think being a policewoman is giving someone a swollen ego. If you're not careful it might get as big as that life raft you call a butt."

Angel's grin changed to a sneer in the blink of an eye while her fists tightened. "What did you say?"

"You heard me, I said you had a gigantic patookie." smiled Stitch as he turned around and pointed at his rear end.

"Why you little…" growled Angel as she began to walk toward Stitch.

"Ah ah, police officers aren't allowed to beat people up and their not allowed into someone's house without a warrant," taunted Stitch, " so you can't set even one of your smelly feet in this house."

Angel's fists trembled with anger as she stood locked in place. Sadly, Stitch was right, she couldn't lay a paw on him. At least that was the case until a very simple solution popped in her head. A nervous look washed over Stitch's face as the female experiment's sneer turned into a devilish smile.

"You're right, Stitch. As a police officer I can't come in without a warrant, but," Angel reached up and unhooked the chain around her neck and tossed her badge to the side, "right now I'm not a police officer, I'm just the smelly footed, big assed experiment that's going to kick _your_ ass."

With a loud gulp Stitch started to back away as Angel walked towards him, her claws extended. "Oh come on, you know I was just joking," Stitch laughed nervously, "that's our thing remember? We poke fun at one another. I mean I think your feet smell fine and your butt… well your butt is perfection."

"You're not getting out of it, Stitch. If you think I have a big butt, then we'll just have to see whose is bigger after I beat yours like a drum for awhile!"

In a flash, Angel leapt at Stitch, but the painted splattered experiment took off running with Angel following taking off after him. The two began running laps between the kitchen, the hallway, and back into the living room.

"Kioko, control your partner!" screamed Stitch as he ran.

"Sorry, Stitch, I can't do that."

"But I'm an endangered citizen!"

"Technically you're not a citizen and you brought this upon yourself. So I don't have to do anything." Kioko said with a smile.

"You suck!" cried Stitch as Angel shaved a few hairs from his tail with her claws.

Kioko just shrugged. "So, since you guys didn't get your paint you want to go for some ice cream? My treat." he asked as he looked at Lilo, Victoria, and Snooty.

"Aren't you on duty?" questioned Victoria.

"Yeah, but I'll just say that I was investigating something."

"Then heck yeah!"

"Alright, let's go."

"Can we run the siren?" blurted Lilo enthusiastically.

"Why not." laughed Kioko.

With a loud cheer they turned and walked out the door, leaving Stitch and Angel to settle their conflict alone.

**That's the end folks; "The Tejina Chronicles" is officially over. It's hard to believe that this has been about five years in the making. I want to thank all those who read and reviewed these story's, I really appreciated all your kind words. Because of all of you this series, which I thought would be a flop, became one of my most popular. I can't thank you enough. I will now be returning my focus to my main series and I hope you all continue to read and make it as popular as you have made "The Tejina Chronicles". Beyond that, if you could do me a favor and tell me what your favorite part of this series was, I'd love to hear what you have to say. Be specific too, if there was a scene, a character or even just a line that you liked, let me know. Thank you again.**


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